Hardik Pandya says sorry after costly error sells Shivam Dube down the river in semi-final against England

Hardik Pandya immediately raised his hand, apologising to Shivam Dube. Here's what happened at the Wankhede Stadium.

The T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium brought out the best in the Indian batting lineup as the defending champions hammered 253/7 in 20 overs, owing to Sanju Samson's 89-run knock. Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya also played useful cameos as India posted the highest semi-final total in tournament history. Dube, in particular, looked lethal, blazing his way to 43 off just 25 balls. He appeared set for his seventh T20I half-century for India, before a horror mix-up with Hardik in the middle ended his knock on 43.

Hardik Pandya immediately raised his hand, apologising to Shivam Dube. (AFP)

The incident occurred on the third delivery of the 18th over, and Hardik's misjudgement cost Dube dearly. Sam Curran fired in a pitch-perfect yorker at the base of middle stump, which Hardik could only squeeze towards mid-wicket.

Dube responded to the call and was already halfway down the pitch before Hardik sent him back. With just one stump to aim at, England captain Harry Brook made no mistake, hitting the target to run Dube out. Hardik immediately raised his hand in apology to the left-handed batter.

Earlier, England captain Brook won the toss and opted to bowl. India made full use of the good batting conditions at the Wankhede, piling up 253 on the board. Abhishek Sharma fell in the second over, but Samson and Kishan ensured England did not gain further ground as the duo stitched together a 97-run stand for the second wicket.

Samson could have pushed for a century, but he put the team first, sacrificing his wicket on 89 while attempting a big shot.

India shatter several records

India’s 253/7 is the fourth-highest team total in T20 World Cup history. It was also the second time India crossed the 250-run mark in the 2026 edition of the tournament, having previously done so against Zimbabwe in the Super 8s.

Speaking at the mid-innings break, Kishan said, “When I went in, Sanju had already hit a few boundaries. The pitch was flat and we had to keep the momentum going. I just tried to play proper cricketing shots. It’s a very good wicket and we have to bowl well today. The plan was clear. If the ball is there, you go for it.”

India’s innings was studded with 19 sixes, the joint third-highest tally of maximums in a single T20 World Cup innings. It was also only the second instance of a team posting a total in excess of 200 in a T20 World Cup knockout game, after West Indies’ 205/4 against Australia in the 2012 semi-final in Colombo's RPS.