India Champions Beat West Indies in 13.2 Overs, Book Semi-Final Spot Against Pakistan in WCL 2025

By Rahul Kashyap

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After almost being on the verge of elimination, Yuvraj Singh’s team made a dramatic comeback and made it to the semi-finals.

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India Champions have qualified for the World Championship of Legends 2025 semi-finals after beating West Indies Champions by five wickets. The team chased down 145 runs in just 13.2 overs to improve their net run rate and secure a semi-final spot against Pakistan Champions.

The qualification of India is a big shock since they were virtually out of the competition, having lost their 3 opening matches. To remain in the running, the defending champions had to beat West Indies by big numbers. They had made poor performances in the previous matches, which had sent them to the bottom of the points table. The victory has made them have another chance to win their title.

As it is currently, it shows that India will now face Pakistan in the semi-final on Thursday. Such a match has become more special due to the league stage game between them having been cancelled earlier. A few Indian players had even withdrawn their participation in the same match based on the diplomatic tensions existing between these two nations. Now the two teams have a second opportunity to play against each other.

Organizers of the tournaments had established earlier qualification criteria in the form of net run rate. India needed to chase 145 runs in 14.1 overs or less to go ahead of the England Champions on the points table. The management of the team was aware of what they needed to do. The fast bowling men of Yuvraj Singh served at the right time.

One can hear all round that this was one of the most thrilling finals of the tournament. India had just scored 52/4 by the 8th over and had a long way to go with 93 runs still left to chase in only 42 balls. The majority of the fans believed that they were finished. Stuart Binny and Yuvraj Singh had other ideas, though.

How India achieved this success

In the first innings, West Indies scored 144/9 in their 20 overs. Kieron Pollard had a blistering unbeaten knock of 74 runs off 43 balls. The iconic all-rounder struck the ball very hard and made the West Indies stay in the game. India bowled quite well, though, limiting them to less than 150.

Piyush Chawla also bowled very well and got 3 wickets for only 18 runs in India. Stuart Binny aided as well with 2 wickets and a 17-run score. Varun Aaron was costly, yet he still took 2 wickets. The bowling helped India to get an opportunity to reach the target.

The start of the chase of India was not good, as the two openers, Robin Uthappa and Shikhar Dhawan, were dismissed in the powerplay. After 8 overs they were 52 / 4, and everyone thought that the match was finished. They had to score 93 runs off 42 balls in order to enter the semi-finals.

But Stuart Binny blazed his career innings. He blasted a 21-ball fifty and transformed the game totally. Yuvraj Singh was no exception and came in on 21 runs out of 11 balls. India began to smash boundaries all around, with the fans going berserk.

Yusuf Pathan completed the task in style. He made 21 runs off 7 balls and is the one who made the winning six in the 14th over. It took India 13.2 overs to finish the chase and rank highly in the net run rate.

Semi-Final Preview: India vs Pakistan

The semi-final between India and Pakistan set to be played on Thursday has become the most anticipated match of the series. Both the teams include legendary players who were once opponents on the playing field. This semi-final has been more special since the league match has been cancelled.

This tremendous comeback victory will boost the confidence of India. Yuvraj Singh, Stuart Binny, and Yusuf Pathan are batting well, which makes them look strong. Pakistan too possesses dangerous players that are capable of winning matches by themselves.

The victor of this semi-final match will feature in the final on August 2 at Edgbaston. The moment of history of the Legends World Championship is known by both teams, and they are the ones who have a shot of creating history.

Final Scorecard:

West Indies Champions: 144/9 (20 overs)

  • Kieron Pollard: 74* (43 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes)
  • India bowling: Piyush Chawla 3/18, Stuart Binny 2/17

India Champions: 145/5 (13.2 overs)

  • Stuart Binny: 50* (21 balls, 4 fours, 3 sixes)
  • Yuvraj Singh: 21 (11 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)
  • Yusuf Pathan: 21* (7 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes)

Result: India Champions won by 5 wickets and qualified for semi-finals

Rahul Kashyap

Sports have always been my passion, and for the past 3 years, I’ve been writing about the two games I love most—basketball and cricket.

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