India faced a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against England in the semi-final on Thursday [November 10], as they faltered to break the opening partnership of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. England will reach Melbourne now to lock horns against Pakistan in the final which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 13.
Following two half-centuries, from Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, India dragged the score to 168/6 in 20 overs. Kohli played a careful knock of 50 runs off 40 balls (with four fours and a six), while Pandya smashed 63 runs off 33 balls (with four boundaries and five maximums). Apart from these two, and a 27-run knock from skipper Rohit Sharma, other batters, even Suryakumar Yadav flopped.
When English opening duo- Buttler and Hales walked out to bat to chase the target, from the very start, they smashed sixes and fours, and soon, with 24 balls to spare, they snatched the victory from the Men in Blue. They stitched a 170-run partnership between them.
In front of Both Buttler and Hales, Indian bowlers did not have any options other than to get smacked for spectacular shots. While Hales ended up scoring 86 off 47 balls, which was studded with four boundaries and seven maximums, Buttler smashed nine boundaries and three sixes to score 80 runs off 49 balls.
In no time, they completed the target and won the match by 10 wickets. Now, Buttler and Co. will be squaring off against Babar Azam’s Pakistan on Sunday, November 13, at the MCG in Melbourne.
“A group effort from 1 to 11. We always want to start as fast as we can and aggressive. Adil Rashid was down at No. 11 today, and that gives us the freedom to come out aggressive, that depth. Hales was tough to bowl at today, he used the dimensions of the ground, and we complement each other perfectly,” Buttler said at the post-match presentation.
Check how Twitter reacted to Jos Buttler and Hales’ knocks
