T20 World Cup 2022: “Have to figure out why we are making mistakes after coming so close” - Robin Uthappa on Team India’s knockout woes
Former batter Robin Uthappa reckons that Team India need to figure out why they are faltering at the knockout stage of ICC events. He urged the team as a whole as well as the leadership group to conduct a thorough analysis of where the Men in Blue are going wrong.
Rohit Sharma and Co. were knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2022 following a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of England in the second semi-final in Adelaide on Thursday, November 10. Defending a total of 168, Team India bowlers did not pick up a single wicket as England’s openers raced to the target in 16 overs.
Reflecting on yet another no-show by the Men in Blue in a crunch knockout clash, Uthappa told Sportskeeda:
“We have to figure out as a unit - the team and the leadership group needs to figure out - why we are making mistakes after coming so close. Why are we making mistakes in the last couple of steps, especially in the semi-finals?
“If we reach the final and then things go wrong, you can still tell that you had a great tournament. But when you get to the semis, with the kind of potential that we have, you want to see a team like India win the World Cup.”
Batting first after England sent them in, India got off to a slow start in the semi-final - they were 75/3 in the 12th over. While Virat Kohli scored 50 off 44, it was Hardik Pandya’s blitz of 63 in 33 balls that lifted Team India to a respectable total.
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. https://t.co/l5NHYMZXPA
However, Alex Hales (86* off 47) and Jos Buttler (80* off 49) made a mockery of the targeting, featuring in an unbroken 170-run stand.
“There was hope that we will go all the way” - Uthappa feels Team India had a genuine chance of winning
Summing up Team India’s T20 World Cup 2022 campaign, Uthappa opined that, given the momentum they had, the Men in Blue could have gone all the way. The 37-year-old stated:
“We have come very close in World Cups, but there was hope this time, given the momentum we had, that we will go all the way. But, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do it.
“At the start of the World Cup, there were question marks on India’s bowling, but the bowling turned up. They did not turn up in the semi-final and England played some exceptional cricket.”
India topped the points table in Group 2 after the Super 12 round, winning four of their five matches. Their only loss came against South Africa. However, they came a cropper in the semi-final against England, unable to deal with the pressure of the big day.