India goes to final match-2014 wt20 beat South Africa

It has been 14 years, 5 Champions Trophies, 5 World Cups and 4 World Twenty20s since South Africa last won a knockout match at an ICC event and that has not changed. Neither has the fact that India has not lost a semi-final under MS Dhoni captaincy. 

They marched into an all sub-continent final with a clinically cold-blooded chase against a South Africa team that put in one of their well performances in a crunch match but were still not good enough. South Africa had never lost a Twenty20 match after posting a 170-plus score before today and they would have thought they were halfway to breaking the hoodoo with that total.

South Africa challenging target of 173, India raced ahead through opening Rohit Sharma, who spanked boundaries off Duminy and upper cut spearhead Steyn for a six. Rohit had blazed to a 13-ball 24 when he skied left-arm pacer Beuran Hendricks for a simple catch. A Rahane and Rohit Sharma added first wicket partnership runs 39 for three overs.

As the required rate headed towards ten-per-over, India had the best men for the job in the center, mutual admirers Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh. The pair added 56 in just 39 balls to take the team to within 40 runs of the target.

Kohli was as much show-stealer as heart-breaker on Friday as he plundered a chanceless 44-ball 72 to book India a place in their 2nd World Twenty20 final, where they will take on an equally formidable Sri Lanka on Sunday. 

Ashwin played as big a role as Virat Kohli in the outcome as he returned excellent figures 4-0-22-3; including an amazing ‘Ball of the Decade’ bowled of the clueless opener Amla. Ashwin is accuracy all but accommodated for Mishra’s rank bad day at the office.

Captain FAF du Plessis (58, 41b) and JP Duminy (45, 40b) had earlier led the Proteas to 172/4, a score they had never failed to defend in this format.

Aus Knockout India fourth won for t20 series 2014

The strand connecting India’s four match wins in the on-going World Twenty20 is how easily they have won each time. Pakistan barely stretched them. West Indies were no challenge. Bangladesh induced a yawn and another win. Even though Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed Against Australia Match, India still put runs on the board with Yuvraj Singh counter-attacking 60 runs. 

Granted, it was a turning wicket. But nobody would have likely the contest to end even before India’s man of the moment, Amit Mishra, was brought on to bowl in the 12th over of the chase. Australia appalling shot selection notwithstanding, it was the sort of performance from India that would position them as the distinct title favorites.

The day belonged to Yuvraj. Coming in at Kohli fall, the veteran had the unenviable job of steadying the innings even as he searched within himself the ideal of the big match player he once was. The wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina made things tougher for him. But in that commotion, Yuvraj found himself. 

Yuvraj continue own style batting With skipper MS Dhoni lending steady support, the duo added 84 runs in just 7 overs, and from thereon, it was India game to lose. 

Australia chase was a disaster. Aaron Finch, Cameron White, Warner all fell trying to go over the top. Shane Watson attempted to late-cut Mohit Sharma, but the ball was fast and skidded on to the stumps. Maxwell, one of the most dangerous hitters in the game today, smashed 3 sixes in the leg-side arc. 

But he was bowled trying to execute a ridiculous reverse-hit off Ravichandran Ashwin, who pushed in a carom ball. George Bailey was caught in the deep next over. At 63-6 in the 11th, it was game over even before Mishra had come on to bowl. 

When Amit Mishra did come on to bowl, he picked up 2 or more wickets, pushing his matches tally to 9-79. Ashwin is tally stands at 7-73. Jadeja is stands at 5-124. Complementing this impressive spin troika is Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is stunning economy rate of 4.33.