The hopes of millions of cricket fans in India were dashed on Thursday, when England defeated India by 10 wickets in the second semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022. After the match, social media platforms were abuzz of reactions from cricket fans, with some angry and disappointed and some accepting that it was a game and England had lost to India. Mahindra-Group Chairman Anand Mahindra also expressed disappointment with the Indian team’s performance.
“It’s not the defeat that hurts, but the manner of defeat…The fickle winds of sport can be cruel…Well, we’ll look at it as just another opportunity to Rise…” he tweeted.
Many share the sentiment expressed by Anand Mahindra, that this is more than the sting of defeat. England dominated the game from the start with several early wickets, including star Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya provided a responsible partnership for the team, which enabled it to reach a comfortable score of 168/6.
While chasing, the intent shown by Jos Buttler and Alex Hales was impressive. Both the openers came with an ‘all or nothing approach’ and started punishing the Indian bowlers. Whether it was Arsdeep Singh’s swing or Axar Patel’s spin, Buttler and Hales were unstoppable, and both remained unbeaten till the end of the assignment and completed a 20-over innings in just 16 overs.
“India is clueless with the ball. Hales and Buttler too good for this Indian attack,” said former Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag in his reaction to the match.
Now, England will face Pakistan in the World Cup finals on 13 November at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Recent reports also suggest that currently, the weather forecast for Melbourne is predicting rain on the day of the finale and also on reserve day, ie 14 November. The match is expected to be attended by more than 90,000 people.
