The Indian cricket team has ended its journey to the finals of the T20 World Cup after enduring a disastrous defeat against England on Thursday - November 10 in the second semi-final that was held at Adelaide Oval, Australia. In the midst of sending grave disappointments back to the country, the team has bid a tearful adieu from the tournament and England will meet Pakistan in the finals.
After a frustrating fiasco, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opened up and divulged where the team has failed to show up against the fiery English batsmen. He ostensibly blamed the team's flawed bowling performance for the humiliation loss, that sparked a wave of lament back in the country. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma said, "Pretty disappointed how it turned out today. We batted well at the back end to get that score."
"We were not up to the mark with the ball. It was definitely not a wicket where a team can come and chase it down in 16 overs. With the ball, we couldn't turn up today. The way we started with the ball was not ideal. We were a little nervous", he added. The skipper further said, "When it comes to knockout stages, it's all about handling the pressure. Depends on the individual as well. You can't teach anyone to handle pressure. When these guys play the playoffs in the IPL and all that, those are high-pressure games, and they are able to handle it."
Praising the English openers Hales and Buttler for putting an impressive show, Rohit said, "You got to give credit to their openers, they played really well. I thought it swung a bit in the first over, but not from the right areas. We know the runs are scored square of the wicket, we were aware about it. When we won the first game, it showed a lot of character. The game against Bangladesh, it was a tricky one. I thought we held our nerve and kept executing our plans. Couldn't do that today."
When asked whether there was less swing than normal for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh with the new ball, Rohit said, "I thought when Bhuvi bowled his first over, it swung a little but not from the right areas. 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 from there if the batsman plays a good shot we will take it. But that is something that didn't happen today and that is a little disappointing", he added. The loss gave a larger sense of disappointments among the Indian fans and even with former players and analysts. The level of disappointment was evident when Indian captain Rohit Sharma broke down in tears as he anguished this unprecedented humiliating loss, which had also sparked the voices demanding an overhaul and a deep introspection.
India's cricket governing body, BCCI took to Twitter and wrote, "Team India put up a fight but it was England who won the match. We had a solid run till the semifinal & enjoyed a solid support from the fans." Cricket Commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote, "India are still playing very conservative cricket. It was an issue they hoped to address and, in all fairness did, in bilateral cricket. But here at the World Cup, India were constantly hoping the back 10 overs would bail them out. Today, it wasn't enough."
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar wrote, "A few tweaks here and there and India will be a formidable T20 side. Journey goes on for Team India. Good luck!" Former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan wrote, "Team England you were a far better team congratulations. For team India, lot to learn and come back harder next time." On the other hand, several fans took to social media and expressed that they are expecting MS Dhoni as the team's coach.
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