Indian team’s dream of becoming two-time T20 World Cup champions was blown away by England as they were decimated in the true sense in the second semi-final at Adelaide on Thursday, November 10.
England beat India by 10 wickets in a showing of utter domination as Jos Buttler’s 80* and Alex Hales’ 86* were enough for them to chase down the 169-run target without losing any wicket as the Indian bowling unit was hit to all parts of Adelaide Oval losing the match in just 16 overs.
Earlier, Indian batting failed to judge the best score on a bit tacky pitch as they settled for 168/6 with Hardik Pandya slamming 63 and Virat Kohli making 50, in 40 balls. Openers Rohit Sharma (27) and KL Rahul (5) failed to give a flying start once again in the tournament.
In contrast, as the pitch eased down, England batters found the ball coming onto the bat easily and Indian bowlers just couldn’t reply to the kind of shots Buttler and Hales were playing.
This was India’s second defeat by 10 wickets in two T20 World Cups, but the biggest one yet as England made 170/0.
In the aftermath, the likes of Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Suryakumar Yadav, and others took to Instagram to share their feelings about the exit from the T20 WC and thanked the fans for their support throughout the tournament.
Kohli posted: “We leave Australian shores short of achieving our dream and with disappointment in our hearts but we can take back a lot of memorable moments as a group and aim to get better from here on. Thank you to all our fans who turned up in huge numbers throughout to support us in the stadiums. Always feel proud to wear this jersey and represent our country”
Hardik Pandya was gutted and disappointed after the loss to England and posted: “Devastated, gutted, hurt. Tough to take, for all of us. To my teammates, I’ve enjoyed the bond that we built - we fought for each other every step of the way. Thank you to our support staff for their endless dedication and hardwork for months on end. To our fans who backed us everywhere we went, we’re forever grateful. It wasn’t meant to be but we’ll reflect and keep fighting.”
Suryakumar Yadav, the most impressive batter for India, said: “Hurtful loss.
So close, yet so far. Grateful to our fans who create electrifying atmosphere, no matter where in the world we are. Thankful and proud of the unending support for each other and the hardwork put in by this team and support staff. Proud to play for my country. We will reflect and come back stronger.”
Here is what some of the other Team India players posted:
