Rohit Sharma: We couldn’t turn up with the ball today

India captain Rohit Sharma wears a dejected look during the T20 World Cup semi-final v England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. Pic/AFP

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday said that his players crumbled under pressure in a high-stakes T20 World Cup semi-final against England. He blamed their insipid bowling performance for the humiliating 10-wicket loss. Defending 169, the Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure as England openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler made a mockery of the chase, completing the task with four overs to spare.

"Pretty disappointed how it turned out today. We batted well at the back end to get that score. We were not up to the mark with the ball. It was definitely not a wicket where a team can come and chase it down in 16 overs. With the ball we couldn't turn up today," Rohit said at the post-match presentation. "When it comes to knockout stages, it's all about handling the pressure. Depends on the individual as well. You can't teach anyone to handle pressure. When these guys play the playoffs in the IPL and all that, those are high-pressure games, and they're able to handle it.

Also read: Rohit Sharma: It was an exceptional innings

"The way we started with the ball was not ideal. We were a little nervy." Hales and Buttler didn't put a foot wrong and the India skipper praised the English openers for their flawless knock. "You got to give credit to their openers, they played really well. I thought it swung a bit in the first over, but not from the right areas. We know the runs are scored square of the wicket, we were aware about it. "When we won the first game, it showed a lot of character. The game against Bangladesh, it was a tricky one. I thought we held our nerve and kept executing our plans. Couldn't do that today."

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