T20 World Cup 2022: Hits and flops as England humble India to enter the finalย ย
Courtesy of a superlative partnership between England openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, India were eliminated from the 2022 T20 World Cup in the semi-finals. The encounter took place at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10.
India turned in an insipid performance after being asked to bat first. Hardik Pandya (63) and Virat Kohli (50) notched up fifties as the Men in Blue barely managed to reach a par total, scoring 168 runs in their first innings. Apart from Adil Rashid, who was economical with his 1/20, Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers for England. Playing his first match of the tournament, Jordan took a 3/43 in his four overs.
BREAKING 
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ENGLAND ARE IN THE FINAL! ๐ฅ
The ODI World Cup 2019 champions hammer India to book a place in the T20 World Cup 2022 final against Pakistan! ๐๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
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In reply, Buttler and Hales made a mockery of the target and thrashed the hapless Indian bowlers with utmost ease. The openers chased it down with four overs to spare and emphatically booked a place for themselves in the final at the MCG, where they will face Pakistan.
On that note, let's take a look at the hits and flops from Thursday's lopsided encounter between India and England.
#4 Flop - Indian bowling unit
It was a dismal bowling effort from India to say the least. Right from the first over of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India failed to create any real opportunities throughout the innings and were whacked by the English openers.
The only half-chance that was created was during the 14th over when Suryakumar Yadav dropped a tough catch off Mohammed Shami's bowling. However, that would've hardly made a difference.
Disappointing.
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The lines and lengths of almost every bowler were off, putting up a subpar bowling display in what was India's most crucial game of the year. Four of the six bowlers used by Rohit Sharma leaked at a rate of more than 11 per over, which tells the story of the day.
#3 Hit - Hardik Pandya
After some mediocre batting performances going into the match, Hardik Pandya was seen at his best against England in Adelaide.
Sent into bat at No. 5, the hard-hitting all-rounder provided India with the much-needed impetus. With just four runs from his first nine deliveries, Pandya took his time early on to set his eyes in.
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Hardik Pandya to the rescue ๐๐คฉ
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However, once he hit his first four in the 15th over, there was no stopping him. The 2022 IPL-winning captain then put on a show with his barrage of fours and sixes and raced away to his maiden fifty in a T20 World Cup game.
Courtesy of Pandya's special knock of 63 from 33, India managed to accumulate as many as 69 runs from the last five overs.
#2 Flop - Indian openers (KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma)
Barring one or two innings in the group stages, the two Indian openers in KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma didn't come to the party for India in the T20 World Cup 2022.
With the Adelaide pitch favoring the batters largely, Rahul and Rohit were tasked with getting India off to a flyer on Thursday. However, the two failed to deliver once again when it mattered the most.
While Rahul did hit a boundary on the very first ball of the innings, he was undone with some extra bounce and was caught behind off Chris Woakes' bowling in the next over. He departed for a poor score of 5(5).
Rohit, on the other hand, batted more than eight overs only to score a scratchy-looking 28-ball 27. The Indian skipper couldn't really manage to hit the middle of his bat throughout his stay and was eventually dismissed by Chris Jordan.
#1 Hit - England openers (Jos Buttler and Alex Hales)
If the Indian openers fared poorly, the two English openers in Jos Buttler and Alex Hales took the game into their hands and led the Englishmen to an authoritative win.
The two right-handers asserted their dominance right from the onset and took a toll on the Indian bowlers with their pyrotechnics. While Hales took charge with his blistering 47-ball 86*, skipper Buttler paced his innings to perfection and ended the match with a brilliant 49-ball 80*.
The English openers were enough to bag a win against India ๐
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Together, Hales and Buttler clobbered 13 fours and ten lusty sixes, sending both Indian pacers and spinners around the park. The duo not only took England to the finals but also registered the highest-ever partnership for any wicket at the T20 World Cup with their thumping stand of 170* from just 96 balls.