Having secured a comfortable 71-run victory over Zimbabwe, India will now gear up for a mega clash against England in the second semifinal match of the 2022 T20 World Cup at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10. Meanwhile, the first semifinal will see a replay of the 2021 T20 World Cup, with table toppers of Group 1 New Zealand facing Pakistan on Wednesday, November 11.
It was an easy win for the Men in Blue, setting a target of 186 courtesy of an ecstatic unbeaten 61 off 25 balls from Suryakumar Yadav. and coupled with KL Rahul's 51 off 35 balls. The bowlers, led by veteran Ravichandran Ashwin, took three wickets, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami took two wickets apiece while Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar shared a wicket each.
With Netherlands' shock win over South Africa confirming India's place in the semifinals, a loss would have pushed them to second on the Group 2 points table, given Pakistan's comprehensive five-wicket victory over Bangladesh, because then India's arch-rivals would have a better net run-rate. But India's victory was swift and moved them back to the top.
Pakistan were able to take advantage of South Africa's surprising 13-run loss to the Netherlands early on Sunday morning. It was a simple equation for the Proteas — beat the minnows Netherlands and qualify for the semis. But it was not to be, as Brandon Glover ran riot on the South African batters, who could not chase down 158 runs.
Group 1 saw a three-way fight between New Zealand, England and hosts Australia. Eventually, New Zealand finished with 7 points after beating Ireland in their final game. Both England and Australia also had 7 points each but the defending champions fell behind the ODI World Champions on the basis of their superior net run rate.
T20 World Cup 2022: SEMI-FINALS LINE-UP
New Zealand vs Pakistan in Sydney on Wednesday, November 9 at 1:30 pm
India vs England in Adelaide on Thursday, November 10 at 1:30 pm
