India vs England: Jos Buttler, Alex Hales pummel Men in Blue out of T20 World Cup 2022

Adelaide, November 10: India’s wait for an ICC trophy got prolonged on Thursday (November 10) when England defeated the Men in Blue by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal at the Adelaide Oval.

India had made a competitive 168 for 6, braving an initial ennui but England openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales made light work of that target to earn a final berth against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday (November 13).

Buttler and Hales, one of the most fearsome opening pair in international cricket, had looked a bit dim in this World Cup but India suffered full fury of them at the Adelaide Oval under clear skies.

Both Buttler and Hales hammered fifties and made the Indian attack look pedestrian on a true pitch, and the target of 169 looked so anaemic. India found wanting on the field too as there were a couple of dropped catches and some misfields that accentuated their slide towards defeat.

Earlier, India tide over a rather slow beginning to post a healthy total. The early departure of KL Rahul prompted skipper Rohit Sharma and his predecessor Virat Kohli to take a things a bit slow.

The Rohit and Kohli combine made a steady 47 runs in around 8 overs, but it has to be said that the cautious approach did not help India in gaining an early momentum.

As it happened a few times earlier in the tournament, Rohit got out trying to clear the ropes, skying Chris Jordan to Sam Curran in the deep. Kohli, who completed 4000 runs in T20I cricket, and later Hardik Pandya made contrasting fifties to take India to a total that at one stage looked so distant.

Kohli tried to keep his end steady but once the 15-over mark passed Hardik shifted gears seamlessly and plundered a couple of sixes and fours to take India to good total but that was not enough to stop a marauding England on this day.