There won’t be another India-Pakistan Sunday blockbuster in Melbourne. England did not just spoil India’s party, as captain Jos Buttler had said ahead of the second semi-final, they forced Rohit Sharma and Co. into an abject surrender with a thumping 10-wicket win at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday to set up a T20 World Cup final date with Pakistan.
Put into bat, a late Hardik Pandya blitz (63 off 33 balls) helped India to 168 for 6, a score that was never match-winning, but competitive. What their bowlers had to endure thereafter was a carnage as Buttler (80 not out off 49 balls) and his opening partner Alex Hales (86 not out off 47 balls) blasted the Indian attack to all corners.
That forgetful Sunday night in Dubai, where Pakistan hammered them by 10 wickets during last year’s T20 World Cup, returned to haunt India.
Captain Jos Buttler rejoices with (right) Man of the Match Alex Hales after England trounced India by 10 wickets at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday to reach Sunday’s final against Pakistan. Getty Images
If Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam had left them embarrassed with an unbroken 152-run stand, Hales and Buttler kept ripping India’s bowling attack apart on way to their record stand of 170 as England motored home with a good four overs to spare.
The dominance and authority with which both the England openers batted seemed as if it was a cat having fun tormenting a helpless mouse. It was Hales who rattled India’s bowlers early on with his flurry of sixes till Buttler unleashed some of his trademark strokes once England’s required rate was below seven.
Also, that India took as many as 15 overs to reach 100 also reflects the impressive work of England’s bowlers.
Even in the absence of Mark Wood, who wasn’t fully fit, India failed to cash in as the likes of Adil Rashid (1/20) and Chris Jordan (3/43) hit the right lengths. If not for Pandya’s late onslaught in the last three overs, even 150 wouldn’t have been possible for India.
India took as many as 15 overs to reach 100 also reflects the impressive work of England’s bowlers. Getty Images
Rohit and KL Rahul once again stuttered at the top, while Virat Kohli (50) had to be watchful. Suryakumar Yadav’s role assumed greater significance then, but leg-spinner Rashid negated the SKY factor, taking the pace off the ball to induce a mistimed shot from the India No.4.
Rashid’s contribution was massive given Surya’s form, while his leg-spin colleague Liam Livingstone also did a fair job. India had no leg-spinner in their XI, but Hales and Buttler wouldn’t complain.
