Watch: Hardik Pandya dismisses Phil Salt for 5 in IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-final 2

For even thinking of completing the chase of 254 runs during the second semifinal of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, England needed a jaw-dropping start with the batt to get the right platform. And they needed their inform opening batter, Phil Salt, to stand long inside the powerplay and play a sensational knock. 

But Phil Salt failed early in the innings as Hardik Pandya drew the first blood for the blue brigade on his very first ball of the evening. It was the away swinging delivery from the right-handed batter, as Salt was shaped to slog the ball across the line. But he didn’t spot the swing at all and went for a big shot. 

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He was through with the ball, as it caught the thick outside edge and lobbed high in the air over the cover-point where Axar Patel settled himself and kept his eyes on the ball to complete the simple catch with his fingers being pointed upwards as the wicket-keeper batter went back for five runs.

Phil Salt dismissed for five runs in T20 WC 2026 Semifinal 2

The pressure was no immense on Jos Buttler, who, however, didn’t enjoy a great season with the bat, having earned just 62 runs in seven innings ahead of this contest. The right-handed batter needed to play a good knock along with captain, Harry Brook, whose dropped catch of Sanju Samson, let them pay a huge price.

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India posted 253 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs as it becomes the highest score by a team in the knockout fixture of the T20 World Cups. Sanju Samson, the opening batter, smacked 89 runs in 42 balls with the help of eight boundaries and seven sixes.

Samson got full support on the other end from Ishan Kishan’s 38 runs in 18 balls while Shivam Dube blasted a fine innings of 43 runs in 25 balls. Even Hardik also got 27 runs in 12 balls along with Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 21 runs in seven balls.

Brief Scores: IND 253/7 (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43, Will Jacks 2/40) vs ENG 64/3 (Jacob Bethell 26*, Jasprit Bumrah 1/7)