Eng vs Ind Highlights - Rohit, Axar and Kuldeep put India in the final

India's quest for a world title is well on course. It's been 11 years since they stood on the podium as champions. Now all that separates them from glory is a few hours' time and a fiery South African team.

Rohit Sharma and his men dismantled the defending champions England, bowling them out for a mere 103 after whacking them around to make 171. It was a mismatch.

6h ago

He was looking dangerous, to the point that it almost seemed hard to picture a ball he hasn't hit off the middle of the bat. He was the owner of all three of England's boundaries since the third over. A blistering sweep. A clever reverse sweep and a powerful slog. All three shots required a batter to be well informed about the pace of the pitch. They were signs that Brook was well set.

But there is no such thing against a wristspinner of Kuldeep's class. Everybody marvels at how quickly Bumrah adapts to conditions to bowl the right length from the outset. Kuldeep's ability to undo batters coming hard at him deserves the same kind of adulation. Sensing that Brook was going to play cross-bat to compensate for not picking him out of the hand, Kuldeep pushes one through flatter and quicker. He has also seen the batter go for another reverse sweep so to prevent him from making contact, he also shifts his line onto leg stump. His reversed bat swing prevents him from reaching that area. Exquisite.

Axar starts the rot in the fourth over

Bumrah's genius builds on it

Axar's first-ball magic continues

Kuldeep arrives immediately after the powerplay

Axar. First ball. Wicket.

Kuldeep unplayable.

Six overs. One boundary. Five wickets.

7h ago

Shiva Jayaraman has the mic: Providence Stadium is not the venue where slogging across the line is likely to pay off. The low bounce seen so far in this match bears witness to that. Since Jan 2023, where ball-by-ball data is available, among 35 venues in T20s where at least 150 slog shots have been attempted, the strike rates off these shots at this venue is the second lowest after Sharjah. At an average of one dismissal for every 8.29 runs scored, it also ranks the third poorest among 35 venues behind Sharjah and Chepauk.

Since Jan 2023, batters have been dismissed playing the slog or the slog sweeps 123 times at the Providence Stadium. That’s 34.64% of wickets taken by bowlers at this venue - more than a third. Among 67 venues where bowlers have taken 100 or more wickets since Jan 2022, this is the highest percentage of wickets that have fallen to swipes across the line (where ball-by-ball data is available with ESPNcricinfo).

He wasn't there in 2022. His awkward action wasn't there. His slower balls weren't there. His wicked pace wasn't there. His aura wasn't there.

In the mid-pitch interview, Liam Livingstone mentioned that the low-bounce was fine because it was only keeping low. It wasn't popping up. Bumrah in the fifth over manages to get one up to hit Salt in stomach at full pace. Having done that, having pushed him back, and prepared him for the venom coming his way, Bumrah goes full and offbreak and the batter isn't ready for it. Salt's through with his swing. The ball has a free pass into leg stump

7h ago

As a batter, you need to be proactive here. You cannot let the bowler settle into a length and keep bowling there. So Jos Buttler charged at Arshdeep Singh and got four, the ball just clearing mid-off. Then next ball, he moved around in his crease, and got a ball on his pads, which he helped away to deep fine. A batter who is willing to give up his stumps is able to create more scoring options on a slow pitch.

Three sixes, two fours and three wickets in the last three overs. All action. India have crossed what they made against England in Adelaide two years ago. And this is a much tougher pitch which Bumrah and Kuldeep will enjoy using. They weren't there in 2022.

Jos Buttler's captaincy as much as anything played a part in dragging India back after the rain break. Adil Rashid was off-colour initially (2-0-17-0) but as all champion cricketers do, he bucked up and took out the biggest threat. Rohit Sharma fell to his wristspin. Rashid's final two overs cost just eight runs.

India have a total that keeps them in the game. We have one that will keep the game interesting.

He bats down the order for CSK, not because he's a great finisher with shots all round the park or even a lot of power but because he's a very good pace-hitter. He's showing that again here against Jofra Archer in the 19th over. Although he's scoring these runs against slower deliveries. Once again an Indian allrounder understanding what the bowler will be likely to bowl in these conditions and setting himself up for those. Jadeja waited nicely to cut a ball that was wide. Then he went down low to sweep through square leg.

8h ago

Hardik Pandya shows the importance of holding his shape. And also a little bit of his own bowling smarts. He understands that even the fast bowlers will be trying to take pace off. So he is setting up for the slower ball. First time, he clubs it over midwicket for six. Second time, he creams it over cover for six. Third time, because this is the 18th over and they need these hits, he goes again, but gets caught at long-off

Chris Jordan's on a hat-trick again as Shivam Dube, pushed down the order bags a golden duck

So more Livingstone.

This is a spin-friendly, slow, low pitch. England had got done with their spinner by 14 overs. India thought they wouldn't go to their part-timers in the death and so pushed Shivam Dube down.

With no spin-hitter out there, Buttler has seized the chance and gone with Livingstone to get the maximum of the pitch and the conditions. England winning the small stuff.

These are the overs Livingstone has bowled, since India have had the chance to send Dube in, but chose not to. The 15th and the 17th.

India would've been expecting one of these overs to be bowled by Sam Curran, who's having a bad day. That's not happened. Tick to Buttler's in-game captaincy skills.

His googly goes under Rohit's bat and clatters into the stumps. India's captain picked the wrong 'un out of the hand and was looking to cash in on that advantage with a big slog over square leg. But the ball keeps SO low.

14 ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster says Rohit's wicket in the 14th over has India's total tracking down by 14 runs to 176

Hardik Pandya pushed up the order. But wasn't Shivam Dube brought to this tournament specifically to spin-hit? Shouldn't he be in? Oh right, Adil Rashid's finished his spell (4-0-25-1). India are expecting the remainder of this innings to be bowled by the Archer and Topley and the like.

50 sixes for Rohit Sharma in T20 World Cups. He's behind only Chris Gayle, who has 63

India are once again looking to create their own lines. SKY hit a six over point off Curran by moving leg side and making room. Next ball, although it was only a single, it was the result of the batter shifting across in his crease. Rohit follows suit when he takes strike, sweeping a good length ball on middle stump because he had shifted himself over outside off stump. Curran isn't high pace. So India are backing themselves to take these risks and adjust if the ball keeps low or misbehaves. Excellent work seizing moments.

8h ago

He's lost both his length - going full tosses - and his line - straying leg side. It seems as though he's trying too much in the attempt to stay one step ahead of two batters who are never shy of taking the attacking route.

Rashid recovers really well in the 12th over, where he gives away only five runs even though SKY was charging him repeatedly. He's had to give up the stumps to get this control, bowling a bit wide of off, and slowing it right down, almost to 70mph, to mess with Rohit and SKY's bat swings.

8h ago

Within the powerplay period, Rohit Sharma was scoring at a strike rate of 133 with shots he was not at all in control of. For context, his overall career strike rate in T20Is is 141. This has been the difference India have been searching for. Don't just bat waiting for the bad ball. Bat as if everything is a bad ball.

Rohit has settled now. Since the fourth over, he's been in control of 11 of 13 balls and he's used that control to great effect, scoring 21 runs including four fours. He's accepted that risk is a part of T20 cricket and there's no point being averse to it.

Runs front of the wicket: 33. Runs behind the wicket: 30

That discrepancy should've been more stark but both Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid erred too far on the leg side and India capitalised big time. Suryakumar Yadav smoked a six. Rohit Sharma swept a four.

On a pitch like Guyana's - where the pace is slow and the bounce is low - runs square and behind the wicket come at a premium. That's because if a bowling unit is disciplined enough to hit a good length and keep the stumps in play, the batter just cannot force the pace.

The ball doesn't come on like he wants it to in order to open the face. It can also skitter through low and threaten his stumps. Both Rohit and SKY have had to guard against deliveries scooting through. England's plan is to shut out half the field to India. Rohit and SKY have been up to that challenge, moving around in their crease to open up the areas they aren't meant to access. This is a lovely tactical battle. But now it's interrupted by rain

Sam Curran's golden arm at work again. India were just beginning to get a foothold in the game. They were actually doing a lot of things right. They haven't stopped trying to find boundaries even though the pitch isn't particularly keen on letting it happen.

England have functioned on a simple game plan. Hit a length and look for the top of the stumps. Rohit saw that and gave up his stumps - moving around in his crease to create the line he wanted to free his arms. Scored two scorching boundaries off the threatening Reece Topley in the fifty over.

The sixth begins with Pant's wicket and ends with SKY smashing Curran for four down the ground.

Topley bowls him! England's lengths so far have been excellent. They're full, but they aren't offering the drive. There's a hint of movement still around from the cloud cover and that tilts the balance just enough towards the bowler. Topley's harnessed it well. Kept the stumps in play, kept away from giving batters room and is now rewarded with a big wicket.

13 balls that India have not been in control of from 18 so far. Rohit (6 of 8 faced) and Kohli (7 of 9 faced)

Might never have come about without Virat Kohli being extra in this latest avatar. Shiva Jayaraman, our resident stats wiz, puts a number on that: Kohli has stepped out to pacers inside the Powerplay seven times this World Cup. Managed just three runs and has been dismissed once. Easily most often in an series since April 2019 (where ball-by-ball data is available) He's walked out there wanting to score quick runs. He's taking risks in that pursuit. They haven't come off.

12 years since a team batting first has won a full 20-overs knockout match in the T20 World Cup, Marlon Samuels doing the business against Sri Lanka in 2012. As an old friend of this parish, Gaurav Sundararaman says, India have to defy a decade of history, and as it turns out, the present day's new ball swing too

Excellent first over from Reece Topley. He went full but not so much that he could be lined up. Rohit tried, which is how that four came about, but it was off the leading edge going over gully. There was movement and the left-arm quick harnessed enough of it to get two plays and misses

Matt Roller reporting from Providence stadium: For a World Cup semi-final, the crowd is not very full. Nigel, a taxi driver who dropped me at the ground this morning, told me that far more locals would have taken the day off if West Indies had been involved: “Guyanese people are known for that: boss, I’m sick – but you’re gonna see me in the cricket ground.” There are hardly any England fans here – though Reece Topley’s dad Don has made the trip – and most of the fans that have made it in are wearing India’s blue.

11h ago

Jos Buttler makes the decision based on the rain around. He's still wary of the low bounce that will be on offer. Same team for England. "Desperate to go all the way. Huge excitement."

Rohit Sharma says India would've batted first. He isn't too fussed about the weather. It's blazing out there now. His decision seems to be around the pitch looking dry and the hope it will continue to get drier, which tends to stop the ball coming into the bat. Same team for India as well. Here are the two playing XIs.

England are trusting their fast bowlers to do the job, although each offers a distinct threat, Archer wit high pace, Topley with his left-arm angle and variations, and of course the most crucial of them all, Adil Rashid. He might yet have spin support in the form of Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone.

India, of course, have three spinners, Kuldeep in prime form and Axar not too far off it himself. Hardik Pandya balances the line-up, allowing them to play this three-spinner combination. Two strong teams filled with game-changing options.

INDENG

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Over 17 • ENG 103/10

India won by 68 runs

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