Lucknow: India clinched a resounding 100-run victory over England at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a stellar bowling performance led by Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. This win helped India maintain an unbeaten record in the World Cup and severely jeopardized England's chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Chasing a target of 230 runs in Lucknow, England's batting lineup crumbled, resulting in their fifth defeat in six matches and leaving their title defense hanging by a thread. In contrast, the Indian team has secured six victories in as many games, virtually guaranteeing themselves a place in the semi-finals.
India's captain, Rohit Sharma, who was also the Player of the Match, said that this was a game where India showed a lot of character. “All the experienced players stood up at the right time and won us the game. Looking at how the tournament has gone for us, batting second in the first five games and then we had to bat first here, we were challenged. We knew the pitch had something in it and we had the experience in our bowling, so we wanted to get to a decent total. We were not great with the bat, losing three wickets in the first powerplay isn't the ideal situation. You have to then create a long partnership, which we did. But then we just lost wickets, including mine. Looking at the overall picture, I thought we were 30 runs short.”
Speaking about India’s bowling, Sharma said, “You don't see that every day when you are defending such a total. Our seamers exploited the conditions very well, there was swing and lateral movement available. We have got a good balance there. A couple of good spinners and seamers bringing in their experience. When you have a bowling line-up like that, it's important that the batters give them something to work with and show their magic.”
England's captain, Jos Buttler, said he was very disappointed by his team’s performance. “At the halfway stage, chasing 230, we would have fancied ourselves. Same old story. Very disappointed. I wasn't sure about the dew, the gut failed said we should chase. I think whichever way you want to go, you have to be committed. It's all about execution. It is. The answer is on a postcard, I think. It was a great start in the powerplay by the bowlers; the guys found some movement. The ground fielding was good. But the way we batted, we didn't back that up,” said Buttler.
