Despite the loss, England’s captain Jos Buttler did not attribute the outcome to his decision to bowl first after winning the toss.
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“With the rain around, we didn’t think the conditions would change and they didn’t – they just outplayed us and got a very good score.I don’t think the toss was the difference between us,” Buttler commented, as quoted by Reuters.
The game was delayed due to rain and a wet outfield. However, once the sun emerged and the toss took place, Buttler chose to chase. This decision was likely influenced by a preference for chasing targets and the expectation of more rain at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
“Our two (spinners) bowled well but in hindsight, probably should have bowled Moeen in our innings with the way spin was playing. But with a good score and their brilliant bowling attack it was always going to be a tough chase,” the English skipper added.
This decision was well-received by India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, who scored the match’s only half-century, leading India to set a challenging total of 171-7 on a pitch that progressively made batting more difficult.
He admitted that England might have given away 20-25 runs more than they should have on a pitch that was not easy to score on. England’s batting line-up struggled, finding themselves at 49-5 at one point, and were unable to recover, particularly against the Indian spinners, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who each took three wickets.
The victory set up a final match for India against South Africa in Bridgetown, marking a contest between the tournament’s two unbeaten teams.
