India has managed to disappoint one and all once again with their exit from the T20 World Cup semi-final. Facing England in the knock-out match, India never fully dominated the game. Consequently, the game sided with England as skipper Jos Buttler and Alex Hales single-handedly chased the target set by India. India’s all-over performance in the decider seemed mediocre at best. However, skipper Rohit Sharma has cited the bowling attack as the main reason behind the defeat.
Also Read: England beats India by 10 wickets: All that Went Wrong For India in the Semi-final clash
What Unfolded In the India Vs England Semi-Final?
Batting first, India didn’t turn up in the powerplay, scoring just 38 off the first six overs. No acceleration in the first innings followed till the 15th over. At the end of the 15th over, India managed to score just 100. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya came to the rescue as they did their best to anchor the innings. Pandya also served as the perfect finisher as he bombarded the venue with boundaries in the concluding overs. Pandya’s knock of 63 off 33 led India’s score to the fighting total of 168.
However, what seemed like a fighting challenge, turned out to be a cake walk for the English openers. Buttler set the tone for chase scoring two boundaries is the first over itself. Alex Hales showed up all guns blazing, scoring a half-century within just 28 deliveries. The duo scored 63 runs in the powerplay only. Ultimately, India’s defence fell flat as the openers of the England team finished the semi-final game.
Also Read: “Hardik Pandya will be the next Indian Captain,” says Sunil Gavaskar Post India’s Semi-Final Exit
Indian Captain Rohit Sharma Opines On The Defeat
Rohit Sharma in the post-match presentation opined that India’s bowling failed to turn up in the match. “I thought we still batted pretty well at the back end to get to that score, but we weren’t good enough with the ball,” Rohit said. “It was definitely not a wicket where a team could come and chase down in 16-17 overs. But yeah, these things happen. Like I said, with the ball we just didn’t turn up today.”
While India failed in both the powerplays, Rohit leaned on the latter one. “We wanted to keep it tight, not give room, we looked at Adelaide pretty well, we know where the runs are scored. Square of the wicket is what we were quite aware of, and that’s where all the runs went today. Keeping it tight is something we spoke of. But that is something that didn’t happen today and that is a little disappointing,” he said.
Lastly, he wrapped up the conversation citing pressure as the ultimate factor in games such as this one. “When it comes to the knockout stages, it’s about handling that pressure,” he said. “It depends on individuals as well. You can’t really go and teach how to handle pressure. All these guys have played enough cricket to understand that. Yeah, I mean, look, lot of these guys when they come out and play in the playoffs in the IPL and all of that, it’s a high-pressure game, some of these guys are able to handle that. When it comes to the knockout stages, it’s all about handling that pressure. Holding yourself a little bit and keeping calm. I thought the way we started off with the ball was not ideal. That shows we were a little nervy to start off with the ball, but again we’ve got to give credit to those openers as well, they played really well.”
