T20 World Cup 2022: "That wasn't the case with the Indian team" - Monty Panesar questions Team India's lack of an alternative plan in semi-final against England
Former England spinner Monty Panesar has criticized Indian captain Rohit Sharma for not having an alternative plan in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final on Thursday, November 10. Panesar underlined that the Men in Blue needed a backup plan, especially since it was a knockout game.
The inaugural World T20 champions needed an exceptional bowling performance in the semi-final after their batting unit managed only 168.
However, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales offered no chance to the Indian bowlers and played aggressively from the start of England's innings. The pair hunted the target down in 16 overs without losing a wicket.
Speaking to the Times of India, Panesar observed that Sharma needed an alternative plan as Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn't get any swing in the first over. He said:
"Why did Rohit not have a plan B or C? India have played really good cricket in the tournament but they needed to understand it was a semi-final. Rohit expected Bhuvneshwar to get some swing but that didn't happen. So, he should have gone into the semis with Plan B and C as well.
"When one doesn't work with you, you immediately switch to the other plan. But that wasn't the case with the Indian team."
Team India's new-ball bowlers shone throughout the tournament as Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck with the new ball frequently. However, the duo couldn't penetrate on Thursday as Buttler and Hales threw them out of their rhythm.
Rohit Sharma reflects on India's bowling performance against England
Skipper Rohit Sharma stated that his side's bowling performance against England was disappointing as they were unsuccessful in keeping things tight, especially in protecting the short square boundaries at the Adelaide Oval.
Following the game, he said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"I thought we still batted pretty well at the back end to get to that score but we weren't good enough with the ball. It was definitely not a wicket where a team could come and chase down in 16-17 overs. But yeah, these things happen. Like I said, with the ball, we just didn't turn up today.
"We wanted to keep it tight, not give room, we looked at Adelaide pretty well, we know where the runs are scored. Square of the wicket is what we were quite aware of, and that's where all the runs went today."
India are still playing very conservative cricket. It was an issue they hoped to address and, in all fairness did, in bilateral cricket. But here at the World Cup, India were constantly hoping the back 10 overs would bail them out. Today, it wasn't enough
England's ten-wicket win advanced them to the final and they will face Pakistan at the MCG on Sunday. However, Thursday's defeat meant that Men in Blue have now lost five World Cup semi-final matches, dating back to 2015.