While Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure and stay wicket-less, Chris Jordan returns with 3 for 43 for England
Adelaide:England virtually destroyed an out-of-sync India by 10 wickets to move into the World Cup final as Alex Hales and Jos Buttler’s relentless hitting tore apart Rohit Sharma’s clueless attack, here on Thursday, a PTI report in The Tribune, Chanddigarh, says
Apparently England seemed to have saved their best for the grand stage as they reduced the semifinal to a dismally one-sided affair, with a splendid bowling effort which they complemented with some breathtaking stroke-making.
Hardik Pandya 68 off 33 ballswas perhaps the only bright spot in the overall laccklustre performance. It whose took India to 168 for six but it was just about a par-score at the Adelaide Oval.
England captain Buttler (80 not out) set the tone with three boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s opening over but it was Hales (86 not out off) who butchered the Indian attack.
The England opening duo gave India’s star-studded line-up a lesson in how to build a T20 innings: that there is only one way, the offensive way.
The target was achieved in just 16 overs as England batting line-up clicked for the first time in the tourney.
England’s key to winning was Powerplay as their top order which looked shaky throughout the league stage, smashed 63 in their six overs. In stark contrast India managed only 38 runs in six overs. The match was won and lost then and there.
Hales hit as many as seven sixes in his 47-ball knock. He deployed the old-fashioned ‘Sanath Jayasuriya style of hitting in the first six overs.
When Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were batting, they were looking to hit through the line unlike Hales and Buttler.
Against lesser opposition like Bangladesh, India could make it up with a total of 168 but it was never enough for a side like England which has reinvented itself and the way T20 cricket is played.
Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep Singh didn’t get enough swing up front and team management’s fascination to play Axar Patel (0/30 in 4 overs) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0/27 in 2 overs) ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal backfired badly.
The success England spinner Adil Rashid (1/20 in 4 overs) on the same track added insult to the injury.
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