'Comes down to controlling the nerves' - Irfan Pathan lauds India's death bowling after semifinal win against England

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan showered praise on the Indian team’s execution in the death overs in their T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal clash against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. The Indian bowlers held their nerve to defend a mammoth 253, winning by a mere seven runs despite a valiant hundred from England’s Jacob Bethell.

"The way they [India] bowled in the last four overs, when the pressure was on. The way Bumrah gave 8 runs in an over, then 9 runs in an over, Arshdeep also bowled good yorkers, and Hardik’s over which went for just nine runs was also very good," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

The former all-rounder applauded the Indian bowlers’ abilities to hold their nerve under pressure and execute the plans when batters were going hard at them.

“Overall, this just comes to controlling the nerves, and the Indian team controlled their nerves in the tough moments. Because when in the end on a small ground the run rate comes to 15-20, the batter does not think of finding gaps, they just think of [hitting] sixes, and England went ahead with their gameplan in that manner,” he added.

He also pointed out Sam Curran’s dismissal as a key point in the match, and how breaking his partnership with Jacob Bethell, which was 50 off 27 at that time, brought India back into the game.

“When Sam Curran got out to a full toss, it seemed like if he had timed the ball well it would have gone out of the ground. But he was not able to hit the low full toss off Hardik's bowling and lost his wicket. And when that partnership broke it brought the Indian team back into the game,” he further stated. 

He concluded by praising Shivam Dube’s ability to hold his nerve when given the final over. Dube was given the last over of the game, with England needing 30 runs. 

“They could have gone to Axar Patel, but when the left-handed batter [Bethell] is set, giving the last over to Axar Patel is a bit difficult, which is why Shivam Dube was given the ball. The way he held nerves in the first two balls, that is where the game was sealed and it was decided that India would reach the final,” he concluded.