Axar Patel dives to take the catch of England’s captain Harry Brook. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India vice-captain Axar Patel produced two extraordinary moments in the field that turned the tide in India’s thrilling semifinal victory over England at the Wankhede Stadium, and the all-rounder later revealed which of the two catches he believes was the tougher effort.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India edged England by seven runs in a high-scoring contest at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal in Mumbai, a match that saw a staggering 499 runs scored across both innings. While the batters dominated the contest, Axar’s athletic brilliance in the field proved just as decisive.

The first moment of magic came early in England’s chase when the dangerous Harry Brook looked set to launch an assault. Off a slower delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, Brook mistimed a shot that seemed destined to fall safely. But Axar sprinted nearly 24 metres backward from cover, tracking the ball over his shoulder before completing a sensational diving catch.The Wankhede crowd erupted as the early breakthrough halted England’s aggressive start.Watch Catch No. 1:Axar’s second act of brilliance arrived in the 14th over, when England’s counterattack threatened to tilt the match. With Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks building a dangerous partnership, Jacks sliced a wide full toss from Arshdeep Singh toward deep point. Axar raced to his left, grabbed the ball just before crossing the boundary rope, and cleverly relayed it to Shivam Dube to complete a stunning team effort.That dismissal broke the 77-run stand and pulled India back into the contest.Watch Catch No.2:Asked to choose between the two fielding gems, Axar admitted the Jacks catch was more crucial in terms of match situation but rated the Brook catch as the tougher one.“When I took the first catch of Harry Brook, it was a very good catch for me, it was tough,” Axar said with a smile. “But if you look at the situation and the way England were batting, the catch of Will Jacks was very important to break the partnership.”“If you ask me fielding-wise, Harry Brook’s catch was tougher. And yeah, luckily today, I thought the ball was chasing me,” he joked.India eventually held their nerve despite Bethell’s brilliant century, setting up a summit clash with New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Michael Clarke credits former India captain: Team India progressed into the T20 World Cup 2026 Final, defeating England in a close contest. After scoring a mammoth total of 256, the Suryakumar Yadav-led brigade managed to win the contest by only a 7-run margin, which shows the level of the contest.

From Sanju Samson’s 89-run knock to some great efforts with the ball, in major points of the match, India made the difference, and eventually won the match to confirm a berth in the Final for the second straight campaign in the T20 World Cup. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said that some brilliant moves in the fielding also helped the Men in Blue to win the high-octane contest.

How did Virat Kohli help India to defeat England? Michael Clarke explained

Axar Patel took a brilliant running catch to dismiss England skipper Harry Brook. Patel was also involved in the dismissal of Will Jacks at key junctures of the game. Clarke said that it was Virat Kohli who inspires the team most to improve their fitness and fielding levels.

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Michael Clarke said, “The other thing that was defining and the difference between India winning and not England was the fielding. A couple of absolute screamers from India. They probably haven’t gotten enough credit for their fielding over the years.”

“I reckon Virat Kohli played a big part when he had a heavy focus on fitness and also transitioned into this Indian fielding. Those two catches were match-winners,” Michael Clarke said on the ‘Beyond23 Cricket Podcast’.

While the Indian national cricket team made some terrific efforts while defending the total, England missed multiple opportunities in the first innings. When Sanju Samson was batting on 15, Brook dropped a sitter inside the circle. The dropped chance eventually cost them the match.

Michael Clarke expects a 50-50 contest in the T20 World Cup 2026 Final

Despite India’s dominating win, Clarke felt that New Zealand would be a very tough opposition to overcome in the final match, which is scheduled to be held on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. As the Kiwis outclassed an undefeated South Africa in the semi-finals with ease, Clarke believes the last lap of the title race will be ended through a 50-50 contest.

“Before the semifinal against South Africa, if you say New Zealand is going to make the final against India, I think it’s black and white that India are the favorites by a distance. After watching this game now, New Zealand beat South Africa, I reckon it is 50-50. But I am going with India to beat New Zealand”, the former cricketer further added.

Clarke predicted the winner of the T20 World Cup 2026 Final

Yadav and his boys are on the verge of making history in the T20 World Cup. For the first time in the tournament, they can become the first team to defend the title, if they are able to beat New Zealand, that too in front of their home crowd.

The atmosphere and the stats can cause extra pressure on the team. But the former opinions that despite all the pressures, Team India can successfully defend their title.

“The challenge for India will be that no team has won T20 World Cups back-to-back. They will know that. They will know they are playing in their home ground, and they’ve been the best team in the competition so far, and are expected to win. If they can release that, and play with the freedom they did against England, I still think they will win the game”, Michael Clarke concluded.

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Mumbai: Maharashtra government has proposed to raise nearly Rs 1.9 lakh crore in loans in the year 2025-26 of which Rs 1.5 lakh crore or 78.1% is to be raised from the open market. This constitutes nearly 73.4% of the fiscal deficit, states the Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Statement and the Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement.In addition, various government undertakings, corporations, special purpose aid companies, and cooperatives have to raise loans for building infrastructure, for which the state government provides guarantees. The total outstanding guarantee given in 2025-26 is Rs 1.8 lakh crore and in case of failure of the guarantee, the entire responsibility lies with the state government.The statement observed that there is a significant increase in state’s liabilities due to investments in infrastructure and communication projects, but for 2025-26, the target fixed for the fiscal deficit as a percentage of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has been achieved. Government is permitted to undertake annual borrowings within the limit of 3% of GSDP.The strategy statement stated that as per the projections for the year 2025-26, Maharashtra’s economy is expected to grow by 7.9% as compared to 2024-25, while the national economy is expected to grow by 7.4%. “It is expected to maintain the direction of fiscal policy such that the growth rate of the state’s economy remains permanently higher than that of the national economy. The state is focusing on infrastructure and communication projects, which have far reaching implications for medium to long-term economic growth and employment generation,” reads the strategy statement. Capital investment is being increased in the state to achieve a $1 trillion economy and Maharashtra needs to raise debt for development work.The strategy statement also pointed out that the government is taking various measures to reduce the amount of interest through efficient debt management, including measures like raising and reissuing short-term and long-term debt securities. “Reserve Bank of India has formulated the Medium Term Debt Management Strategy for Maharashtra for easy management of debt portfolio risk, reduction of long term financial risk, strengthening of fiscal policy and proper functioning of the government bond market. The state government has agreed to accept the said policy,” reads the statement. Also, local self-government bodies, authorities and government depts have been instructed to return the unspent funds to the government.Increasing urbanisation is being touted as the reason for the strain on the state’s financial system as it has led to increasing electricity demand, water supply, housing demand, transport system and other infrastructure facilities.“The state has been successful in keeping debt within the prescribed fiscal indicators by achieving a balance between deposits and expenditure. Keeping the financial health of the state sound will be the direction of the fiscal policy of the state government. The state’s fiscal policy will help take the state’s economy to $1 trillion by 2029-30 and $5 trillion by the nation’s centennial year,” reads the statement.

NEW DELHI: India legend Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on vice-captain Axar Patel for his breathtaking fielding display in India’s nerve-wracking T20 World Cup semifinal win over England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Gavaskar even compared Axar’s impact in the field to that of Ravindra Jadeja, saying the all-rounder has stepped up to fill the void left by one of India’s greatest fielders.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India had earlier piled up a mammoth 253/7, powered by a blistering knock from Sanju Samson. England’s chase, however, threatened to derail India’s hopes as Jacob Bethell produced a sensational century to keep his side firmly in the contest.

But Axar’s brilliance in the field repeatedly halted England’s momentum.The first moment of magic came early in the chase when Jasprit Bumrah deceived Harry Brook with a slower delivery. Brook miscued the shot high over cover, and Axar sprinted back nearly 24 metres before diving forward to complete a stunning catch inches above the turf.ALSO READ: Axar Patel picks tougher of his two ‘out of this world’ catches — Watch & choose yours“Axar Patel’s catch to dismiss Harry Brook was unbelievable. Brook can take the game away and you have to grab every chance to get his wicket and Axar did that,” Gavaskar said while speaking on JioHotstar.“He ran 24 meters away from his fielding spot, kept his eyes on the ball, balanced himself and took the catch. Unbelievable stuff.”Axar wasn’t done yet. Later in the innings, when Will Jacks threatened to push England closer to the daunting target alongside Bethell, Axar produced another moment of brilliance. Chasing a sliced shot toward deep point, he ran hard across the turf, grabbed the ball while losing balance near the boundary rope and cleverly relayed it to Shivam Dube, who completed the catch.“He also played a key role in Will Jacks’ dismissal. The Bethell-Jacks partnership was taking the game away. But Axar ran to his left, grabbed the ball and smartly passed it to Shivam Dube,” Gavaskar added.Gavaskar believes Axar’s rise as a complete cricketer mirrors the impact Jadeja once had for India.“With his batting and bowling, Axar is going to be one of India’s great players. We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that void well,” he said.