New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) After defending champions India edged past England by seven runs to advance to the T20 World Cup final, legendary batter Sachin hailed the Men in Blue's intent in the high-scoring thriller and said it's the mindset they needed in the knockout matches.

After Sanju Samson led the charge to take India to 253/7, the home team survived a spirited challenge from England to register a seven-run win in a high-scoring semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. The two teams scored 499 runs between them, the most in a men's T20 World Cup match.

"You can measure runs, partnerships, and strike rates, but the real stat here is intent. Loved the positive approach with the bat and the cool heads in the field. That’s the mindset you want in knockout cricket," Sachin shared on X.

Samson was adjudged Player of the Match for his explosive batting. Tendulkar hailed the wicketkeeper-batter's impressive show with the bat. "Great to see Sanju Samson carry his form into this match and set the tempo early! Eyes on the final," he added.

India 253/7 is the fourth-highest by a team in T20 World Cup history and the highest ever in a knockout game in the tournament. The only other instance of a team scoring 200+ in a knockout game before today was West Indies' 205/4 against Australia at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in the 2012 semifinal.

In Sunday's title clash, India are chasing a few firsts as they take on New Zealand in Ahmedabad. They are aiming to become the first host team to win the T20 World Cup, the first team to defend the title and the first to lift three T20 World Cup trophies.

India have made it to the final for the fourth time in T20 WCs, the most for any team. Moreover, India is the first team to enter the final as defending champions.

--IANS

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