T20 World Cup: India beat England to enter final

England tried but felt short as they finished 247/7

It's all down to the last over. It's now favouring India as England need 30 runs from six balls with Bethell on strike. England 224/6 in 19 overs.

England lose Sam Curran as they now need 32 off 9 balls. England 222/6 in 18.3 overs.

A brilliant knock from Jacob Bethell as he reaches his century in just 45 balls. His innigs is studded with eight boundaries and seven sixes.

Suryakumar Yadav's master move to bring in Bumrah works wonder as the pacer concedes six runs in his final over to add pressure on England. England now need 39 from 12 balls.

A difficult one but Bethell is still there. England 215/5 in 18 overs.

Bethell scores 10 runs from the last two balls of Arshdeep Singh as he reaches 94 from 42 balls. England now need 45 from 18 balls. Will Bethell be the hero for England? England 209/5 in 17 overs.

That Bumrah over has gone only for 8. He has one more over to go. England need a big over before Bumrah comes again to ball. Bethell and Curran are playing sensible cricket but can they push it all the way? England 194/5 in 16 overs.

What a match we are witnessing. This match promises to go down the wire and it's now Bethell and India. The youngster is putting up a brave fight taking England closer to the target as he reaches 81 off just 36 balls. England need 69 runs from 30 balls. England 185/5 in 15 overs.

A stunning display of fielding at the line by Axar Patel ensured Will Jacks departs. England need 82 from 36 balls. Bethell batting at the other end on 74. England 172/5 in 14 overs.

The partnership between Bethell and Jacks reaches 76 runs as England now need 83 runs from 36 balls. India will be hoping to end the partnership. England 171/4 in 13.4 overs.

You can feel the tension in the crowd. Can England pull this off?

England are looking to be settling down with Bethell being the key. They need 109 runs from 48 balls. England 145/4 in 12 overs.

A fine and timely knock from Bethell. The youngster is keeping England's hope alive for the moment. His half century comes off 20 deliveries consisting of four boundaries and five sixes. England 131/4 in 10.5 overs.

England reach 100 as Bethell keeps their hopes alive. He continues to play his aggressive game as he reaches 43 from 15 balls. England are well within the required rate but they are losing wickets at regular intervals.

Tom Banton made a promising start with two sixes but Axar Patel had the last laugh as he rattles his stumps. England 95/4 in 7.3 overs

England's required run sailing past 11. Bethell races to 39 off just 14 balls with five sixes to his credit. England need 171 from 78 balls. England 83/3 in 7 overs.

It's raining sixes for England. Bethell is destroying Varun Chakravarthy with three consecutive sixes. But India fight back as Chakravarthy removes Buttler. That's a big wicket for the hosts. England 64/3 in 5.5 overs

Jacob Bethell begins on an aggressive note with a fine six. Three Lions need a partnership here. Buttler is set and Bethell needs to give him company. England now need 209 from 90 balls. England 45/2 in 5 overs.

England lose their second wicket as Harry Brook departs. Axar Patel takes a brilliant catch and the crowd goes wild. England 38/2 in 4.1 overs,

Jos Buttler reaches 25 as England are looking good at the moment. They now need 216 from 96 balls. England 38/1 in 4 overs.

Jos Buttler is taking control of things. Gets two boundaries allowing England to make a comeback. England 25/1 in 3 overs.

Hardik bowls fine over giving away just one run in his first over. England need 239 from 108 balls. England 15/1 in 2 overs.

England lose an early wicket as Phil Salt departs. Hardik is the man. England 13/1 in 1.1 overs.

England openers make a quick start. Jos Buttler scores two boundaries while Phil Salt gets one. England 13/0 in 1 over.

The highest successful chase at this ground is 229, when England chased down South Africa in the 2016 T20 World Cup under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy.

India have now put 253 on the board, comfortably higher than that record chase. Playing at home with the crowd firmly behind them and a strong bowling attack to back it up, India will feel confident. England will need something truly special to hunt down this massive target

"When I went in, Sanju got boundaries. Pitch looked flat. Knew we needed a good total. Had to get momentum going. He batted in a way that left me little to do. We have to bowl well on this pitch. The plan was clear - if the ball is there, go for it. You have to believe in your strength, now it's about executing plans with ball. Every player would agree that crowd cheering gives us confidence, we'll try to give our best"

Sanju Samson showed fine form yet again as his 89 ensured India reached 253 in 20 overs against England in the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England have a huge target to chase but with the wicket conducive for batting, it should make an interesting chase.

Ishan Kishan gave Samson a perfect company as the duo share a 97-run partnership for the second wicket after Abhishek Sharma again flopped. Kishan departed scoring a 18-ball 39.

Shivam Dube provided the late charge scoring 43 off 25 balls that included one boundary and four sixes to ensure India crossed the 200-run mark. Hardik Pandya (27, 12b, 3x4, 2x6) and Tilak Varma (21, 7b, 3x6) chipped in with crucial contributions. For England Will Jacks and Adil Rashid took two wickets each.

India will go for everything now to add as much as they can to the total. Tilak Varma putting in those sixes. Three remarable shots as the ball sails over to the crowd. Varma finally departs to Archer's brilliant yorker. India 236/6 in 18.5 overs.

Dube survived an LBW appeal earlier but he is run out now. A mix-up and Dube is run out. Pandya immediately apologises. A direct hit from Brook and Dube is left watching furiously. India 213/5 in 17.4 overs.

Hardik Pandya makes a royal entry smashing three boundaries off Overton. Some fine shots on display from the all-rounder. India 205/4 in 17 overs.

India :205/4 in 17 overs. How many more runs they will score in the remaining 18 balls?

India begin the attack again as Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube hit a six each. But England get their revenge as SKY is stumped. He departs for 11 from six balls. That brings Hardik Pandya to the centre. India 190/4 in 16 overs.

The highest successful chase at this ground is 229, when England chased down South Africa in the 2016 T20 World Cup under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy.

India could well go past that total today, and with the strength of their bowling attack, they will feel confident about defending a big score

India's run flow has suddenly dropped. Just one boundary in the last two overs. That's a good comeback from England. Another five overs remaining and India will look at least 50 runs from it. India 177/3 in 15 overs.

Indian captain and Shivam Dube have a cautious approach to the over against Will Jacks. Will England bounce back? India 166/3 in 14 overs.

That was unlucky. Sanju Samson misses his century by just 11 runs. He attempts another big again but holes on to Salt. The Indian opener gets a standing ovation. Another terrific knock from the man from Keralam, India: 160/3 in 13.1 overs

Sanju Samson c Salt b Jacks 89 (42b 8x4 7x6) SR: 211.9

Dube takes charge. A fine whack over wide long-on and then follows it up with another one. India going really strong at the moment. Experts predicting India can reach up to 230 plus. That will be some chase for England to do. India 145/2 in 12 overs.

India's runrate looking really good with just over eleven. England need some quick wickets to put brakes on the run flow. But with Sanju Samson in the middle, we can still expect some fireworks. India 130/2 in 11 overs.

As the innings reach halfway, India are 119 for two. Sanju Samson going strong at 67 from 34 balls. Given the current run rate India should easily make it to 200 plus. India 119/2 in 10 overs

Ishan stepped out of the crease and miscued it high into the Mumbai sky. Will Jacks ran in from long off and this time made no mistake, completing a safe catch. Unlike his captain Brook earlier, Jacks held on as England finally broke the second wicket stand.

Ishan Kishan c Jacks b Rashid 39 (18b, 4x4, 2x6, SR 216.66)

Rashid does the trick for England as he removes Ishan Kishan. A fine catch from Jacks. India 117/2 in 9.3 overs.

It's raining sixes and boundaries at the Wankhede Stadium. Sanju Samson's got to 65 from 31 balls supported by eight boundaries and four sixes. Ishan Kishan batting on 35 off 16 balls consisting of three fours and two sixes. India 112/1 in 9 overs.

India reach 100 for 1 in 8.3 overs. Sanju Samson batting on 54 while Ishan Kishan reaches 35. The partnership now reaches 86 off just 40 balls. India 100/1 in 8.4 overs.

Sanju Samson reaches his half century in style with a brilliant six. His 52 comes off just 27 deliveries consisting of seven boundaries and three sixes. India 86/1 in 7.5 overs

Jacks, stationed at wide long off, almost lets the ball slip through for four after a fumble but manages to recover just in time. After the earlier dropped catch, the fielding from England is beginning to look a bit sloppy

Sanju Samson reaches 46 as the partnership with Ishan Kishan reaches 53. India 73/1 in 7 overs. Adil Rashid's first over gone only for 6 runs.

India dominated the powerplay while England looked sloppy in the opening overs. Yes, they managed to remove Abhishek Sharma, but they also dropped a crucial catch of the dangerous Sanju Samson. On top of that, England’s bowlers have not quite found their lengths, allowing India to score freely in the powerplay.

Boundaries are coming in amazing frequency here. Samson gets another two boundaries as he races to 40 off just 19 balls. Partnership is now worth 47. India 67/1 in 6 overs.

Ishan gets on the aggressive smashting two consecutive boundaries. The partnership for the second wicket reaches 35 now. India 55/1 in 5 overs.

Sanju Samson is dealing in boundaries at the moment. The opener reaches 30 off 14 deliveries consisting of four boundaries and two sixes. Ind 45/1 in 4 overs

Off spin does the trick again. There was only one man in the deep, yet Jacks manages to pick him out perfectly. He tried to go big against the spinner but did not get the connection he wanted, and the ball went straight to the fielder. An easy catch and Jacks is on his way back

Sanju Samson gets a life as Brook drops an easy one. Will that prove to be costly. Yes it looks like as Sanju Samson sends one over the ropes for his second six of the day. India 34/1 in 3 overs.

Chipped to mid on and put down by the captain.It was a fuller delivery and Samson tried to drive it but did not time it at all. The ball looped gently towards mid on and it should have been a simple catch.

Abhishek looked solid smashing two boundaries off Will Jacks but the England spinner gets his revenge to remove the opener as he holes one to Salt. India 20/1 in 2 overs.

Openers Sanju Samson gave India a fine start with a boundary and a six with Abhishek Sharma watching in awe from the other side. That's the kind of start India were looking for. India 12/0 in 1 over.

Suryakumar Yadav in must-win games & knockouts in multilaterals

34 (29) vs SL, Dubai 2022

14 (10) vs ENG, Adelaide 2022

47 (36) vs ENG, Providence 2024

3 (4) vs SA, Bridgetown 2024

1 (5) vs PAK, Dubai 2025

18 (16) vs WI, Kolkata 2026

Warmer day and a fresh looking pitch. Experts say it should be good for batting with plenty of runs expected.

If you want to relax before the hustle of the match, read this story. You can check it out here.

"It's a semi-final and it's all about handling the pressure. Whichever teams handles the pressure will come out on the top. The atmosphere is great and we hope to have a great contest. India have been playing really good in the recent past so hope they carry the same form."

Abhishek Sharma starts again, Rinku Singh not in XI

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

England captain Harry Brook: "Looks like a good wicket. We hope to get a good start and then chase it down. India have a lot more experience, we'll try and assess conditions and play at our best. T20 is fickle, way we've played we've scraped through and holds us in good stead."

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav: "We were anyways looking to bat. Wind around, don't think there'll be dew. Mood in camp is positive. We've tightened our screws, our brand of cricket has been different. We are going with the same team."

Crowd go berserk chanting the former Indian captain's name

Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara offers tips for Indian bowlers on how to handle England's man in form Harry brook. "If you see, the majority of his runs are on the leg side. However, someone like Harry Brook is also strong on the offside. So, it is not just about the data; you also need to consider the batter's strengths. Brook predominantly scores on the leg side, but at the same time, he can score on the off-side as well. How do you get him out? By keeping as many deliveries as possible on the stumps, because whenever he misses, the ball should hit the stumps. When he creates room on the off-side, that is where he is slightly vulnerable."

India have played England five times in the T20 World Cup earlier and have won three while the Three Lions taking two of them.

Another chatter doing rounds is will Rinku Singh replace Abhishek Sharma. Rinku who lost his father during the tournament rejoined the side recently. He was seen having a lengthy batting session with coach Gautam Gambhir that has triggered speculations. If that happens Ishan Kishan might open with Sanju Samson.

India have the worst catching efficiency among the Super 8 teams at the T20 World Cup

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

The ICC T20 World Cup holds possibly the biggest game of the tournament so far as reigning champions India face the dominant England in the semi-finals.

Bragging rights are on the line in the Gulf News team, find out our sports experts Jai Prasad, Shamsheer and Rob's opinions ahead of Thursday night’s showdown

Jai: India should win with home advantage

Rob: England will carry the momentum

Shamsheer: Pressure is on India to deliver

Click here to read more