T20 World Cup 2022: "You cannot teach them to handle pressure" - Rohit Sharma disappointed after India's comprehensive loss to England in semi-final
Indian captain Rohit Sharma visibly expressed his disappointment after a 10-wicket hammering against England in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final in Adelaide on Thursday, November 10. The right-handed batter stated that players cannot be taught to handle pressure in knockout games.
England stormed into the final of the tournament after chasing down 169 in 16 overs as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales registered the highest ever partnership in T20 World Cup knockouts.
Indian bowlers looked clueless throughout the innings as the Englishmen carted them all over the ground.
Right in the feels. https://t.co/fomESPYnr3
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Rohit admitted that India were lackluster with the ball and felt the wicket was better for bowling than it seemed.
The 35-year-old lamented their inability to maintain pressure during knockout games, saying:
"Yeah absolutely, it is disappointing how we turned up today. I thought we still batted well but we were not at all good with the ball. It wasn't a total where a team could chase down this total with no wickets.
"Ah, see I think when it comes to knockout stages, it comes to individuals as well. You cannot teach them to handle pressure. They have all handled it. They have been playing IPL. Some of these guys can handle it."
He continued:
"Again, I felt that the way we started with the ball was not good, maybe a bit nervy. The way Bhuvi started was not good. We wanted to keep it tight and not give width. Keeping it tight was something we spoke off, and from there if the batting side plays good shots we will take on. This was something where we didn't do well."
India came into the semi-finals after finishing atop the standings in Group 2, claiming wins over Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe. In contrast, England sneaked into the semi-finals alongside New Zealand after beating Sri Lanka in their final group game.
Rohit Sharma and Co. struggle with the bat
Meanwhile, Rohit and KL Rahul failed to give an imposing start, with the latter falling to Chris Woakes in the second over.
The skipper perished for a 28-ball 27; however, fifties from Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya gave them 169 runs to defend. Pandya scored fifty off 29 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 63 off 33 balls.
Innings Break!
A blazing 63 off 33 from @hardikpandya7 & 50 off 40 from @imVkohli powers #TeamIndia to a total of 168/6.
Scorecard - bit.ly/INDvENG-SF2-T2… #INDvENG #T20WorldCup https://t.co/D0cgeBW6cQ
England, who chased the total down in 16 overs, will face Pakistan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13.