England outclassed India in all facets of the game during the T20 World Cup semi-final.
Chasing 169 to win, the Three Lions got over the line without breaking a sweat. The duo of Buttler and Hales took the Indian bowling attack to the cleaners, sharing an unbeaten 170-run stand to overhaul the target with four overs to spare.
While Hales remained unbeaten on 86 off 47 balls (4 fours and 7 sixes), Buttler finished with 80 not out off 49 balls (9 fours and 3 sixes).
Speaking after the game, skipper Jos Buttler pointed to England’s experience of playing in front of enthusiastic Indian Premier League (IPL) crowds as big factor in his team’s emphatic semi-final win.
During England’s chase, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya and star batter Virat Kohli asked the crowd to make noise in the hope of using atmosphere to build pressure but it backfired this time around.
“If he (Pandya) goes to try and get the crowd behind you, that's telling you that you're doing well. I think we have quite a lot of IPL experience in our team, as well, which means situations like tonight don't surprise you,” Buttler said in the post-match press conference.
“We've played in India a lot, understand the noise that comes with the fans of Indian cricket, especially when certain guys walk onto the field or when they're batting and the impact they can have.
“But having had so much experience as a team playing in the IPL, I don't think it's as much of a factor anymore.”
Besides IPL, the English players also have the experience of playing the Big Bash League. The England captain said Hales’ experience of playing the BBL at Australian grounds was visible in his semi-final knock.
“I think Alex would have played as much Big Bash cricket as anyone, and his performance tonight was amazing. I think it's some huge strengths of his, square of the wicket, which obviously today on this kind of grounds really is great.
“He's been performing really well for a long period of time. The last three matches especially, his form has been brilliant, and he was great to just tuck in behind tonight and bat at the other end.”
With this victory, England set up a clash with Pakistan in the final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday (November 13).
“I think certainly there were a few people wanting that final (India vs Pakistan), of course, but certainly for us, we were desperate to get there.
“We wanted to, like I said, spoil that party.
“Having seen the first game of the tournament between India and Pakistan, there's a lot of people that would have loved to have seen another edition of that, but they'll have to wait for another time.”
(t20worldcup.com inputs)