Alex Hales and Jos Buttler produced a batting masterclass as England thrashed India by 10 wickets to storm into the T20 World Cup final.
Chasing 169 to join Pakistan in Sunday’s final, Hales blasted 86 from 47 and Buttler smashed 80 from 49 as England cruised to victory with four overs to spare.
India only reached 168-6 – the par score at the Adelaide Oval – thanks to some late hitting from Hardik Pandya, who made 63 from 33.
England’s emphatic win means Buttler’s side progress to the T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where they will face Pakistan following their semi-final win over New Zealand.
It will be a repeat of the 1992 World Cup final at the same ground, when Pakistan beat England by 22 runs to become 50-over champions.
After England elected to bowl first in Adelaide, Chris Woakes removed KL Rahul in the second over but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli began to establish a solid if not destructive partnership.
India had moved to 56 in the ninth over when Sharma holed out off Chris Jordan, who made his first appearance at this World Cup in place of the injured Mark Wood.
Adil Rashid dismissed the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav on his way to claiming superb figures of 1-20 and Kohli was dismissed shortly after reaching his fourth half-century of the tournament.
India appeared to be stuttering towards a below-par total but Pandya smashed five sixes to give his side a chance of joining arch-rivals Pakistan in the final, with England conceding 47 from the final three overs as Jordan and the usually reliable Sam Curran went the distance.
Chasing 169 could have been tricky – especially as England made hard work of a chase of 141 last time out against Sri Lanka – but Hales and Buttler tucked into India’s bowlers, taking 63 from the powerplay.
Hales, who was only selected in England’s squad after a freak injury to Jonny Bairstow, cleared the ropes seven times as even India’s spinners failed to restrict the run-rate.
It was virtually party time for the England fans inside the Adelaide Oval as the team reached 98-0 at the halfway stage, Hales and Buttler continuing to find regular boundaries against an increasingly deflated India.
While Hales was the aggressor for most of the innings, Buttler had almost caught up with his opening partner when he hit the winning runs, England cruising to the total with 10 wickets and 24 balls remaining.
After being named Player of the Match, Hales said: ‘This would be right up there for me as my perfect innings. India in the semi-final, big occasion, I’m so happy with how I played, it’s special.
‘I never thought I’d play in a World Cup again so this is so special, and to do it in a country where I love playing. It’s one of the best nights of my career.’
Former England captain Eoin Morgan added: ‘That was absolutely mind-blowingly good. They made a very good Indian side look ordinary and that is very difficult to do.
‘That involves planning, executing and then putting them to bed. It’s like a boxing bout, but at two different weight divisions. That’s how it felt towards the end with Jos Buttler and Alex Hales going bananas.
‘I’m so happy for them and the opportunity that they have on Sunday now is absolutely huge.’
Pakistan were on the verge of crashing out of the T20 World Cup at the group stage but sneaked into the semi-finals before beating New Zealand in Sydney.
Both finalists are bidding to win the T20 World Cup for the second time, with Pakistan becoming T20 champions in 2009 and England lifting the trophy a year later.
MORE : Babar Azam reacts as Pakistan beat Kiwis to reach T20 World Cup final
MORE : AB de Villiers predicts T20 World Cup winner ahead of semi-finals
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