England crushed India in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Adelaide on Thursday, ending the Men in Blue's dream of winning their second-ever title in the ICC event. India's only T20 World Cup triumph came back in 2007 during the competition's maiden edition in South Africa. However, it wasn't their defeat that upset the fans, but the manner of India's loss shocked them. Batting first Rohit Sharma and his boys put up a good total of 168/6 on the board, thanks to Virat Kohli's 50 off 40 balls and Hardik Pandya‘s explosive knock of 63 that came in only 33 deliveries. In reply, England's openers took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners, eventually smacking scintillating half-centuries to secure an astonishing 10-wicket win at the Adelaide Oval. Alex Hales and Jos Buttler remained not out on 86 and 80 respectively to secure their side's place in Sunday's T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in Melbourne.

Following India's ouster from the prestigious tournament, the team's supporters took to Twitter to mourn their defeat to England.

Even the term “chokers” started trending on the microblogging website with many Indian cricket admirers lashing out at Rohit Sharma and company for their inability to come out on top under pressure.

While some urged the national selectors to remove skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid from their respective positions, others called for the inclusion of young blood in the team because the T20 format demanded an aggressive approach in the middle.

https://twitter.com/superking1815/status/1590662340084916224

 

After the game, a shell-shocked Rohit Sharma admitted that India's bowling unit simply didn't turn on to deliver the goods for the side today.

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“It's pretty disappointing how we turned up today. I thought we still batted pretty well at the back end to get to that score, but we were not good enough 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 didn't turn up today. 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're able to handle it,” a dejected Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“The way we started with the ball was not ideal. We were a little nervy, but you have to give credit to the openers as well. They played really well. When Bhuvi bowled the first over it swung today, but not from the right areas. We wanted to keep it tight, not give room, because square of the wicket was an area we were aware of – that's where the runs came today. If we keep it tight and the batsman still score runs, we'll take it. But we didn't do that today. In the game against Bangladesh it was tricky as well, but I thought we held our nerve that day, executed well,” Rohit Sharma added.

Meanwhile, England skipper Jos Buttler was short of words to describe his team's complete performance in the match against India.

“[The Ireland game] feels a long time ago. The character we've shown to get through the tournament since then, and put in our best performance today, has been amazing. We came here excited, it was a really good feeling when we came in. A group effort from 1 to 11. We always want to start as fast as we can and aggressive. Adil Rashid was down at No. 11 today, and that gives us the freedom to come out aggressive, that depth. Hales was tough to bowl at today, he used the dimensions of the ground, and we complement each other perfectly. He was a brilliant partner today. Special praise to Chris Jordan for coming in today, not having played so far, and he ran into Hardik playing fantastically at the death, but I thought he handed that really well,” Jos Buttler said after the match.

On the other hand, an extremely happy Alex Hales was named the Man of the Match following his unbeaten 86 off 47 deliveries at the Adelaide Oval.

“A huge occasion, really happy with the way I played. I think this is one of the best grounds to bat in in the world. Great value to hit your shots with the short square boundaries, and a ground I have good memories at. I never thought I'd play in a World Cup again, and to get a chance is a special feeling. It's a country I love playing in. Jos was unbelievable out there,” Alex Hales concluded.