India’s Dominant March to the T20 World Cup Final: A Match-by-Match Look

India’s journey to the T20 World Cup 2024 final was nothing short of remarkable. Let’s relive their path to glory, one match at a time:

Ireland

The 2024 T20 World Cup began on a high note for India. Their opening match against Ireland, played on June 5th at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, resulted in a convincing eight-wicket victory.

Ireland, who chose to bat first, were restricted to a meager total of 96 runs. This was primarily due to a dominant performance by the Indian fast bowling attack. Hardik Pandya emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, claiming three wickets in his bowling spell. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh provided excellent support, picking up two wickets each.

Chasing a relatively modest target of 97 runs, India secured a swift victory within 12.2 overs. The batting duo of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant played instrumental roles in this win. Sharma struck a well-paced 52 runs off 37 balls, while Pant provided a quickfire knock of 36 runs from just 26 deliveries. Their aggressive batting ensured India chased down the target with minimal difficulty

Pakistan

In a tense and low-scoring encounter dominated by the bowling attacks, the Indian cricket team led by Rohit Sharma emerged victorious against their arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9th in New York.

Pakistan called the coin toss correctly and opted to field first. Their decision seemed justified as the Indian batsmen struggled against the Pakistani pace attack. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, both young and fiery quicks, ran through the Indian batting order, taking three wickets each. The only resistance for India came from the in-form wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who managed a fighting 42 runs off 31 balls. With the rest of the batting lineup failing to get going, India were bundled out for a meager 119 runs.

Despite the low score on the board, the Indian bowlers did a commendable job in defending the total. The initial overs were a tight affair, with Pakistan batting cautiously and the Indian pacers struggling to find breakthroughs. However, the tide turned in the latter half of the innings. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh, India’s pace spearheads, rose to the occasion. Bumrah delivered a lethal spell, picking up 3 wickets for just 14 runs. Pandya and Arshdeep chipped in with crucial wickets as well, taking 2 and 1 wickets respectively. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel also played his part, claiming a wicket for just 11 runs. With some disciplined bowling and a collective effort, the Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to 113 runs, falling short of the target by a narrow margin of 6 runs.

USA

The Indian cricket team secured a dominant victory against the USA, one of the co-hosts of the tournament, by a margin of seven wickets. The match took place on June 12th at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

Arshdeep Singh’s bowling performance was a key factor in India’s win. He delivered an exceptional spell, taking a staggering four wickets while conceding only nine runs in his four overs. This stellar bowling effort restricted the USA team to a modest total of 110 runs on the board, with only eight wickets remaining after their 20 overs.

The Indian batting innings started with a slight hiccup. Saurabh Netravalkar, the USA bowler, posed a significant challenge by dismissing both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of India’s most experienced batsmen, within the third over of the chase. However, the Indian batting line-up displayed resilience. Suryakumar Yadav played a crucial role in stabilizing the innings, scoring a well-paced fifty off just 49 balls. Shivam Dube also provided valuable support with a knock of 31 runs in 35 balls. These vital contributions from Yadav and Dube ensured India reached the target comfortably, with ten balls remaining in their innings.

This victory came after India’s previous match against Canada was abandoned due to rain. Despite the washout, India’s performance throughout the group stage was commendable. They finished at the top of Group A in the tournament, accumulating a total of seven points from their four completed matches. This win against the USA secured their qualification for the Super Eights stage of the competition.

Super Eights

Afghanistan

The T20 World Cup moved from the United States to the beautiful Caribbean islands for the Super Eights stage. India kicked off their campaign on June 20th, facing Afghanistan in the opening match of Group 1. The venue for this clash was the historic Kensington Oval in Barbados.

India’s batting performance was powered by a spectacular innings from Suryakumar Yadav. He blazed his way to a score of 53 runs in just 28 balls, showcasing his explosive batting style. Valuable contributions also came from Hardik Pandya (32 runs in 24 balls) and Axar Patel (12 runs in a quickfire 6 balls). Thanks to this collective effort, India set a challenging target of 181 runs for Afghanistan to chase.

Unfortunately for Afghanistan, their chase never really got going. The Indian bowling attack was disciplined and effective. Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, India’s pace spearheads, shared six wickets between them, taking three wickets each. Kuldeep Yadav, the wily spinner, also chipped in with two wickets. The Afghan batting line-up crumbled under pressure, eventually being dismissed for 134 runs. This resulted in a convincing 47-run victory for India, giving them a strong start in the Super Eights stage.

Bangladesh

The Indian cricket team continued their winning streak in the Super Eights stage of the T20 World Cup with another emphatic victory over Bangladesh on June 22nd at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Rohit Sharma got India off to a flying start with a quickfire knock of 23 runs from just 11 balls. Virat Kohli (37 runs in 28 balls), Rishabh Pant (36 runs in 24 balls) and Shivam Dube (34 runs in 24 balls) all chipped in with valuable contributions, playing steady innings to build a strong foundation for the later batsmen.

However, it was Hardik Pandya who stole the show with a blistering knock of 50 runs from only 27 balls. His aggressive batting propelled India to a formidable total of 196/5 at the end of their innings.

Bangladesh’s chase for the target never really got going. The Indian bowlers, nicknamed the Men in Blue, were disciplined and restricted their opponents throughout the innings. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming three wickets. Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah also impressed, taking two wickets each. Bangladesh eventually fell short by 50 runs, mustering only 146/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

This win was crucial for India as it put them in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament. They had earlier defeated Ireland, Pakistan, USA, and Afghanistan in the group stage, with their match against Canada being washed out. Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered their second defeat in the Super Eights stage, having previously lost to Australia.

Australia

In a highly anticipated rematch of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Final, India turned the tables on Australia, securing a convincing victory and a place in the semi-finals. The match took place at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, where Rohit Sharma stole the show with a blistering knock of 92 runs off just 41 balls. His fiery innings provided the foundation for India’s strong total.

Suryakumar Yadav provided valuable support to Sharma, smashing a quickfire 31 runs off only 16 balls. Together, their aggressive batting display propelled India to a challenging target of 206 runs for the Australian team.

Australia’s chase began brightly, with Travis Head playing a fighting knock of 76 runs in 43 balls. Head’s intent threatened to take the game away from India once again, bringing back memories of Australia’s World Cup victory. However, the Indian bowlers rose to the occasion, with Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav delivering crucial spells. Singh scalped three wickets for 37 runs, while Yadav picked up two wickets for just 24 runs. Their combined efforts restricted the flow of Australian runs and prevented them from building dangerous partnerships.

Ultimately, the Indian bowling attack proved too strong for the Australian batsmen, who fell short of the target by 24 runs. With this win, India not only avenged their World Cup defeat but also booked their spot in the semi-finals, putting them one step closer to potentially clinching the championship title.

England

The 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final was a bitter pill to swallow for Indian fans. England dominated the match, coasting to a comfortable 10-wicket victory. But how the tide turned in 2024! The Indian team exacted sweet revenge at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, completely dismantling the English batting order and securing a convincing 68-run win.

Choosing to bat first, India laid a solid foundation for their total. Rohit Sharma, the experienced opener, anchored the innings with a well-paced 57 runs off 39 balls. Suryakumar Yadav, known for his aggressive batting, provided a quickfire knock of 47 runs from just 36 deliveries. These crucial contributions propelled India to a competitive total of 172 runs.

Defending this target, the Indian spin attack emerged as the heroes of the match. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel weaved their magic, taking three wickets each and restricting the English batsmen. Jasprit Bumrah, never to be outdone, chipped in with two crucial wickets as well. The English batting line-up crumbled under the pressure, eventually being bowled out for a meager 103 runs in just 16.4 overs.

This victory for India was a complete turnaround from the 2022 defeat. It showcased the team’s resilience and their ability to bounce back stronger. The contributions of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav at the top of the order, coupled with the exceptional bowling performance by the spinners, sealed the win for India and sent them marching into the finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

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