India and England put on quite a show in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The fans got their money’s worth after the run-fest saw India prevailing over the Three Lions by just seven runs to enter the final and set up a summit clash against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. Nobody would have expected England to show fight after being hit for 253 runs; however, Jacob Bethell had other plans, as his maiden T20I century almost took England home.
Sanju Samson might have won the Player of the Match award, but it could have very well gone to Jasprit Bumrah as well. Samson played a 89-run knock, but it was Bumrah who brought India back into the contest. On a pitch where every bowler was taken to task, the premier Indian pacer gave away just 33 runs in his quota of four overs and also scalped the wicket of England captain Harry Brook.
After winning the Player of the Match for the second game in a row, even Samson admitted that he wouldn’t have minded if Bumrah had won the accolade, as he was the one who truly took the game away from the Three Lions in the death overs.
When asked about this Samson remark at the post-match presentation, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said, “Absolutely. I mean, you know how capable he is, what he has done over the years for India.”
“And he did the same thing today. Raised his hand again, showed character, pulled the game away from them. And I think it was a special bowling performance,” he added.
Bumrah’s spell of four overs was truly exceptional, and the testament of his brilliance was that he went for 8.5 runs per over on a pitch where every batter made merry, hitting boundaries and sixes for fun.
Sanju Samson special
Earlier, England captain Harry Brook won the toss and opted to bowl. Sanju Samson made full use of an early reprieve he got after Brook dropped a sitter at mid-on. The right-handed batter went on to score 89, and he set up India’s innings.
Speaking about Samson, Suryakumar said, “He knew what he wanted to do as soon as he went in to bat. Even when the wicket fell, he knew the wicket was good, so he kept pressing the pedal. And the way he batted, I think the team required that from him. It was all due from all last year, all the hard work he was doing, and it was a special knock today.”
Lastly, Suryakumar was a relieved man after getting the better of England, and he even applauded the fight shown by the two-time champions, saying he even had a word with Brook after the close game came to an end.
“Oh my God, I just told Harry how much more we need to score against you guys. But then at the end of the day, it was a good wicket. The way they batted, I don’t want to take credit away from them as well. I think they were always in the game, always in the chase. But the way Bumrah, Ashdeep and all the other bowlers pulled the game, I think it was unbelievable,” said Suryakumar.”
