India’s 2022 T20 World Cup campaign came to a stunning end as they lost to England by 10 wickets in the semi-finals. It was not just a loss but an enormous one as India’s bowlers couldn’t scalp a single wicket and England romped to a 10-wicket win. In their victorious chase, the England openers broke the record for highest partnership in the history of the tournament.
Team India’s humiliating defeat has stirred a hornet’s nest as critics are trolling Rohit Sharma and Co. left, right and center. The semi-final loss was the result of some key failures. One of them was of course, the lacklustre bowling which was taken for a ride by the England openers.
India’s spin bowling was a department was a disappointment. Lead spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked six wickets in six matches while youngster Axar Patel scalped three wickets in five matches. Amidst this, wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal warmed the bench and wasn’t given the chance to play a single match.
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has pointed fingers at Ashwin over his dismal performance in the world event. Kaneria bluntly called Ashwin an off-spinner who can’t bowl off-spin and questioned his status in white ball cricket.
“Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t deserve to play in this T20 World Cup. He cannot do well in Australian conditions. He should only play Test cricket. Virat Kohli did the right thing when he was the captain, reserving Ashwin only for the longer format. T20 cricket is not his cup of tea. Being an off-spinner, he can’t bowl off-spin,” Kaneria was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.
Besides, India’s bowling, their supposed area of strength- batting looked pedestrian in the match. In an insipid batting display in the powerplay, Indian batters scored just 38 runs. At the half way stage, in 10 overs, Indian batters had scored just 62 runs at the Adelaide Oval ground where the square boundaries were quite short. In sharp contrast, England made the most of playing conditions and scored 98 runs in 10 overs to put the men in blue under pressure.