Rohit Sharma-led India beat England by 68 runs in the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal, in Guyana on Thursday (June 27). In a contest which had delays due to rain and wet outfield, India rode on their captain’s 57 and Suryakumar Yadav’s 47 to post 171-7 before Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav dented Jos Buttler-led England’s run-chase, with three wickets apiece, to take India to their third T20 WC final. They will now face South Africa in the final on Saturday (June 29) in Barbados with both teams being unbeaten so far. While there remained a lot of positives for India, Virat Kohli’s struggles will keep them concerned ahead of the South Africa clash.
Kohli has had scores of 1, 4, 0, 24, 37, 0 and 9 so far in the ongoing 20-nation event, being held in West Indies and the USA. In the semifinal, he hit a massive six off Reece Topley before the pacer rattled his stumps on the very next ball to send him packing for 9 (his fifth single-digit score in this year’s edition). Thus, Kohli was dejected after his dismissal and outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid consoled him in the dressing room.
Here is the viral video:
DRAVID BACKS KOHLI TO GET A BIG ONE IN THE FINAL
After India’s massive win, Dravid opined on Kohli’s poor run of form. He said on Star Sports, “You know with Virat, the thing is, when you play a slightly high-risk brand of cricket there can be times when it doesn’t come off. Even today, I thought he hit a really good 6 to set the tempo but he was just unlucky that the ball seamed a little bit more. But I love the intent, I love the way he went about doing it. It sets a good example for the group as well if he’s willing to do it. And you know, for some reason, I don’t want to jinx it but I think there’s a big one coming up. I’m just loving his attitude and that he’s committing himself on the field – I think he deserves it.”
India will look to end their 11-year ICC title drought when they face the Aiden Markram-led Proteas in the summit clash on Saturday.