India will play against England in the T20 World Cup semi-finals after they comprehensively defeated Zimbabwe by 71 runs in Melbourne to win Group 2.

Ahead of the game with Zimbabwe, India were already guaranteed a place in the semi-finals after South Africa’s shocking 13-run defeat to the Netherlands at Adelaide Oval in Sunday’s first fixture.

With the match a dead rubber, India chose back-up wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant for his first match and was selected to bat first against Zimbabwe.

India’s proceeded to thrash Zimbabwe with a dominant display, where they posted 186-5 before skittling their opposition for 115 in 17.2 overs.

With that, Rohit Sharma’s side finished top of their pool and two points ahead of Pakistan, who defeated Bangladesh to take the second semi-final spot in Group 2 after South Africa’s surprising loss.

India are now going to play England, who are Group 1 runners-up, in Adelaide on Thursday. Meanwhile, Pakistan, who are Group 1 winners, will face New Zealand in Sydney on Wednesday.

India coach Rahul Dravid said he was particularly thrilled with the phenomenal performance of Suryakumar Yadav.

Suryakumar Yadav put on a show with the bat as he gave another performance in range-hitting when he blasted an unbeaten 61 off 25 balls in the 71-run trouncing of Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, Yadav now has 225 runs and is now second only to teammate Virat Kohli (246) in the tournament’s runs-list for players who competed only in the Super 12 phase.

Yadav’s strike rate of 193.96 left everyone in complete amazement. However, though, it will give England’s bowlers a lot to think about ahead of their semi-final clash in Adelaide.

Zimbabwe will now turn their focus on qualifying for the next Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in the West Indies and the United States of America in 2024.

Collins Nwokolo