Put in to bat in the rain-hit match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, the 2007 champions India posted 7-171 with skipper Rohit Sharma (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (47) scoring the bulk of the runs on a slow track.
England were then bowled out for 103 in the 17th over, never really recovering from a top-order collapse and surrendering to India's spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed three wickets apiece.
India's wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant celebrates his swift stumping of Moeen Ali. (AP PHOTO)
It will be a clash of the tournament's two unbeaten sides when India lock horns with South Africa in Bridgetown on Saturday.
"It's very satisfying to win this game," an elated Rohit, playing potentially his last T20 World Cup, said.
"We worked really hard as a unit. To win like that was a great effort from everybody."
Rain and a wet outfield delayed start of the match and England captain Jos Buttler elected to field after winning the toss.
India managed 46 runs from the six powerplay overs, which cost them the wickets of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
Rohit began with a couple of streaky shots but soon grew in confidence, while Suryakumar, at the other end, scooped Chris Jordan over fine leg for a trademark six before rain stopped play with India 2-65 in eight overs.
Once play resumed more than an hour later, Rohit reached his 36-ball half-century with a six, which also brought up India's 100 in the 13th over.
Axar Patel's brilliant three-wicket haul earns him the — T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) @aramco POTM �#INDvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Gmq6Pln9qeJune 27, 2024
Adil Rashid bowled Rohit and Jofra Archer denied Suryakumar a half-century to temporarily peg back India.
Jordan (3-37) dismissed Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube with successive deliveries but India still managed to post a competitive total.
England began briskly but were soon reeling at 5-49 after a top-order meltdown triggered by player of the match Axar (3-23).
The left-arm spinner dismissed Buttler (23) with his first ball and removed Jonny Bairstow for a duck in his next over.
In between, Phil Salt had his leg stump pegged back by Jasprit Bumrah.
Axar returned to get Moeen Ali stumped before fellow spinner Kuldeep (3-19) twisted the knife on a slow pitch where the ball occasionally kept low.
The left-arm wrist spinner trapped both Sam Curran and Jordan and clean bowled Harry Brook (25) to put India firmly in charge.
"India outplayed us, certainly," Buttler said.
"We let them maybe get 20, 25 too many on a challenging surface that they played well on. They fully deserved to win."
Under Buttler, England also failed to defend their 50-overs World Cup title in India last year.
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