India inched one step closer to “repeating and defeating history” as they secured a thrilling seven-run win over England in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and booked a Final berth. Sunil Gavaskar and Piyush Chawla lauded Jasprit Bumrah’s masterclass at the death, Axar Patel’s brilliance in the field and Sanju Samson for continuing from where he left off in Kolkata.
Sunil Gavaskar described Jasprit Bumrah’s 18th over in the semi-final against England as masterclass in death bowling:
“Jasprit Bumrah is not just a once in a generation bowler. He is a once in a century kind of a bowler. Because he plays all formats. Test matches, 50-over games, T20s. You give him the ball, he will deliver. Yes, there might be the odd match where he goes for runs. That is understandable. He is human after all. But more often than not, when it matters, Bumrah will bowl that crucial over. It might not always be a wicket-taking over. But he will give just seven or eight runs when others are going for 15 or 20.”
On the fielding show put on by Axar Patel:
“Axar Patel’s catch to dismiss Harry Brook was unbelievable. Brook can take the game away and you have to grab every chance to get his wicket and Axar did that. He ran 24 meters away from his fielding spot, kept his eyes on the ball, balanced himself, and took the catch. Unbelievable stuff. He also played a key role in Will Jacks’ dismissal. The Bethell-Jacks partnership was taking the game away. But Axar ran to his left, grabbed the ball, and smartly passed it to Shivam Dube. That shows great cricketing intelligence. At the highest level, temperament separates the greats from the good. With his batting and bowling, Axar is going to be one of India’s great players. We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that void well. His bowling needs a little more polish. That will come with experience. His line, length, and speed are improving every year. The vice-captaincy means he is thinking about everyone’s game, not just his own. That is great for his growth.”
On Jacob Bethell’s century:
“With this century in the semi-final of a T20 World Cup against a team like India, Jacob Bethell showed that he belongs at this level. People have spoken very highly of him. We saw him in the Ashes series, coming in and scoring a hundred over there as well. To get a Test hundred in an Ashes series in Australia against Australia is something extraordinary. The Aussies never let you score an easy hundred. That series showed his class. Then subsequently here at the Wankhede Stadium, the way he has batted was nothing short of extraordinary. We have seen him in the one-day matches. He has batted extremely well. But he was batting at five or six. Now he has been promoted to number four in T20I cricket. That makes the difference. If a couple of wickets fall early, it allows him to play more overs. And with the range of shots he has, he made batting look so easy. But sadly, despite scoring a hundred, Bethell wasn’t able to help England get over the line.”
On the prospect of India potentially becoming the first team to lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title at home:
“It would be really special to witness India lifting the T20 World Cup trophy on home soil. Any time you play at home in a World Cup, it is special. The backing you get from the crowd, the applause when you do well, whether you save runs, take a catch, or score runs, it is an incredible feeling. Representing India in front of so many people is a blessing. It is a privilege. And that too in a World Cup, playing for India anytime is a surreal feeling. Talking about semi-finals at the Wankhede, India have not been very lucky here. In the 1987 Reliance World Cup semi-final against England, we lost. In the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final against West Indies, we lost here as well. But let’s not talk about luck. At the end of the day, you make your own luck. The other day in Kolkata, chasing 196 in a do-or-die match against West Indies was not easy. The way Suryakumar Yadav and his boys did it showed great character, great determination, and a great desire to go all the way.”
Piyush Chawla praised Sanju Samson’s effortless batting:
“Sanju Samson makes things look quite easy. When he is batting, he is not trying to over hit the ball. He just makes sure he is timing it well. The six he hit off Jofra Archer over long off, he just swung his bat towards the right side. That ball was not there to be hit for a six. As a bowler, Archer could only say, ‘Well played, sir.’ In the last game against West Indies, India were chasing 196 in a high pressure game. It was not easy. But he made it look easy. In this semi-final against England as well, you need some luck. That luck came when Harry Brook dropped his catch. But after that, he just continued playing his shots. He punished the bad deliveries. And sometimes, even the good deliveries, he made sure he hit them over the boundary. That makes the bowler think, ‘What am I doing wrong now?’”
