ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights: India Suffer Shocking Defeat To England

It was time for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s on again off again relationship with the media and his apparent rift with Virender Sehwag to take a backseat. India were faced with a unique situation after their defeat to the West Indies.
While England would still stand a chance of qualifying if they lost this Super Eights match, for India, it was simply a case of do-or-die at Lord’s in the ICC World Twenty20 in England.
India’s complacency and perhaps over confidence got the better of them, but unfortunately at the worst time possible for the defending champions. Their move to leave out Pragyan Ojha, a spinner where such bowlers have tended to bask in the limelight, was questionable and even more was the decision to send Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the Indian captain himself.
India’s chase of England’s target got off to a disastrous start given that the duo of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have been giving India good starts. However, bounce was their undoing even though Gambhir survived for twenty-six runs. Jadeja was thrust into a difficult situation, that of steadying the innings. But given the situation and pressure, it was perhaps a mistake to hold back Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan until the situation proved too much.
England were propelled by the innings of Ravi Bopara’s thirty-seven and then by Dmitri Mascarenhas’s twenty-five. But it was Kevin Pietersen’s forty-six from twenty-seven that added the decisive impetus to the match as England ended up with 153.
That India even clawed back despite the run rate is due to Yuvraj Singh who showed his form, albeit for seventeen runs, and later due to Dhoni’s thirty and Pathan’s thirty-three from seventeen balls. Needing fifteen off the last over, Pathan hit one six but India’s chase ended in a whimper and in disappointment as they lost by three runs with Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann standing out for England, to concede the match and the trophy.

To catch all the matches of the ICC World Twenty20 in England, begin with

ICC World Twenty20: India Clobber Ireland

Then simply keep going on!460847