T20WC: Suryakumar hails Bumrah’s “special bowling performance”, Sanju’s knock as India trounce England in semifinal

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 6 (ANI): Following his side's nail-biting win over England in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed Sanju Samson's scintillating knock and Jasprit Bumrah's four-over spell of just 33 runs and a wicket in such a high-scoring match. He also spoke on the nerves while defending 254 runs and heading into the final at Ahmedabad against New Zealand.
Samson's explosive 89 and brilliant spell of 1/33 by Bumrah in a high-scoring game where almost everyone got smashed in excess of 10 runs an over helped India overcome a scary 105 from Jacob Bethell as a valiant England fell short by seven runs in chase of 254 runs, despite being down at 95/4 at one point. Team India will now meet New Zealand in the title clash at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking during the post-match presentation on Thursday, Suryakumar said, "It is an unbelievable feeling. Obviously, playing in India, leading such a wonderful side, and with the World Cup happening here, going to Ahmedabad to play that final. I think it's a special feeling for all the boys. I think he knew what he wanted to do as soon as he went in to bat (on Sanju Samson). Even when a wicket fell, he knew the wicket was good, so he kept pressing the pedal. The way he batted was exactly what the team required. It was due after all the hard work he's been putting in over the last year. It was a special knock today."
He was also in awe of England's batting performance, saying that he talked to England skipper Harry Brook about how much they needed to score against their hard-hitting batting line-up.
"But honestly, it was a good wicket. The way they batted, I do not want to take credit away from them. They were always in the game and always in the chase. But the way Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and the other bowlers pulled the game back was unbelievable. We all know what he is capable of and what he is done for India over the years (on Jasprit Bumrah). He did the same thing again today, raised his hand and showed character to pull the game away from them. It was a special bowling performance," said Suryakumar speaking on the team's bowling performance.
He also hailed fielding coach T Dilip's role in the team's superb catching, with Axar Patel pulling off a couple of stunning pieces of fielding on the field.
"I think we need to give some credit to our fielding coach Dilip T as well (on India's superb catching). The way he's been working with the boys in practice sessions, making them fun and competitive, the boys have responded really well. Even after their personal skill sessions, they put in extra work for the team, and that is showing on the field," he added.
Speaking on all-rounder Shivam Dube's promotion to number four, Surya said that the team's batting order is settled only till number three, and he was brought in to counter veteran legbreak spinner Adil Rashid.
"In this team, everything is settled till number three (on the left-right batting and the promotion of Shivam Dube), so we didn't want to change anything. But when we saw Rashid bowling from one end, Dube was a perfect match-up. Even if I had scored a 50 or 100 in the last game, if the team needed that change today, it was the right call," said Suryakumar on Dube's promotion up the order.
On the nerves he felt during the chase and heading into the final, the Indian skipper said, "Very nervous! If someone had checked my heart rate, it would have easily been 160-175. But that's part of the game (if he was nervous during the chase). It was a wonderful semi-final, and now we're very happy to go into the final. (on the crowd) The moment we came in for warm-ups, the stadium was already 75-80 per cent full. That shows how badly they wanted India to do well today. Even though we batted first, they were really happy with the way we played. Hopefully, we gave them a great show going into the final. (Thoughts on the final) There will definitely be pressure and nerves, especially playing in India and going for the title. But the boys and the whole support staff are excited as well," he signed off.
Put to bat first, a fiery knock from Sanju Samson (89* in 42 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes) and cameos from Shivam Dube (43 in 25 balls, with a four and four sixes), Ishan Kishan (39 in 18 balls, with four boundaries), Hardik Pandya (27 in 12 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (21 in seven balls, with three sixes) took India to 253/7 in 20 overs. Despite having England down at 95/4, India could not dominate them as Jacob Bethell (105 in 48 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes) and Will Jacks (35 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) put a counter-attacking 77-run stand for the fifth wicket. Bethell continued to march on even after Jacks' dismissal and a fiery four-ball cameo of 19 from Jofra Archer took England really close, but not to the finishing line, ending at 246/7. (ANI)