Despite Jacob Bethell’s spirited effort (his first T20 international century), England were defeated on Thursday by an Indian side looking to make it consecutive World Cup triumphs when they take on New Zealand in Sunday’s final.
While a comeback seemed possible for England with just three overs to go, India weathered the storm. The 18th over of the second innings was where the game was won and lost. England, trailing by 45, were only able to take six runs with Jasprit Bumrah showing his quality yet again. Bethell fell shortly after, and despite a remarkable three sixes from tail-ender Jofra Archer, India were ultimately worthy winners.
India are Favourites: India go into Sunday’s final at -260. Sanju Samson’s heroics with the bat not only in Thursday’s victory over England (89) but also against West Indies in the final Super 8 game (97) have helped India get into this position. DraftKings have him priced at +225 to hit 50 or more runs for those confident he’ll chalk up another phenomenal tally against the Black Caps on Sunday. On the bowling side of things, the quality of Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Varun Chakaravarthy makes India look even more formidable. Virat Kohli’s T20 retirement in 2024 was a big blow for the Men in Blue, but they are poised to repeat their success from two years ago without one of the greatest of all time.
New Zealand’s Outside Chance: Finn Allen is riding the crest of a wave after a remarkable century against South Africa- the fastest ever in the history of the competition- with just 33 balls. His team will need him to be firing on all cylinders once again when they take on India. He is priced at +275 to hit a half-century. Rachin Ravindra has been their most prolific bowler at the World Cup with eleven wickets, two of which came in Wednesday’s win over South Africa. At +200 underdogs, Rob Walter’s side certainly have their work cut out, but bigger shocks have happened in international cricket, and they’ll be hopeful of securing a maiden T20 World Cup after falling short to Australia in the 2021 final.
Prediction: Ultimately, this competition feels like India’s to lose. Their elite ability with bat and ball alike means it’ll come as somewhat of a surprise if they don’t make history as the first team to win the World Cup three times at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
