England's Title Defense Ends with Heavy Defeat to India

England’s defense of their T20 World Cup title ended after a 68-run defeat by India in the semi-final in Guyana. Chasing 172 on a tough pitch, England collapsed, scoring only 103 in 16.4 overs. Captain Jos Buttler’s 23 was the highest score as wickets tumbled, with Kuldeep Yadav taking 3-19.

England’s batting woes were highlighted by two run-outs. India’s Rohit Sharma (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (47) built a crucial 73-run partnership, taking India to 171-7. India, seeking their first World Cup win in 13 years, will face South Africa in the final.

England will return home and prepare for a three-match Test series against West Indies, starting 10 July.

England’s Journey Ends Poorly

England’s campaign, which started poorly, found momentum in the middle but ended in disappointment. India adapted better to the challenging conditions and executed their game plan flawlessly. Rain delayed the match by 75 minutes, but India outperformed England, highlighting a significant gap between the teams.

Despite reaching the semi-finals, England’s performance against top teams was lackluster, raising questions about the future of captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott. They will next lead England in September for T20 and one-day international series against Australia.

India’s Revenge

India avenged their 2022 semi-final loss to England. Buttler, who was pivotal in the previous win, was dismissed early, triggering England’s collapse. Axar Patel (3-23) and Jasprit Bumrah took key wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav’s spell dismantled England’s middle order.

Rohit and Suryakumar Shine

India’s only concern was Virat Kohli’s form, as he was dismissed for nine. Rohit Sharma with some early luck and Suryakumar Yadav built a match-winning partnership. Despite a rain delay, they propelled India to a competitive total. Late contributions from Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja ensured India finished strongly.

Reactions

India captain Rohit Sharma: “It’s very satisfying to win this game. We worked really hard as a unit. To win like that was a great effort from everybody. We adapted to the conditions. They were really challenging. If we play according to the conditions, things fall into place.”

England captain Jos Buttler: “India outplayed us. We let them maybe get 20-25 too many on a challenging surface that they played well on. They fully deserved to win. We played good cricket in patches but unfortunately came up short when we needed it most.”

Player of the match, India bowler Axar Patel: “I knew that the wicket was stopping and had something for the bowlers. I just tried to bowl in good areas. Our batters told us the pitch wasn’t easy to hit the ball. We felt it was a good total.”