T20 World Cup 2022: “Yes, we can call them chokers, but don’t be too harsh” - Kapil Dev urges restraint after Team India’s shocking loss to England 

Fast bowling legend Kapil Dev agrees that the choker tag could stick to Team India after they faltered in yet another ICC knockout clash - the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final. He, however, urged fans and experts to exercise a level of restraint in their criticism, pointing out that it was one bad game for the Men in Blue.

Team India went down to England by 10 wickets in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10. They put up 168/6 batting first, a total the England openers gunned down in 16 overs.

The Men in Blue’s failure on Thursday is the latest in their growing list of disappointments in knockout matches. They haven’t won an ICC event since 2013. India lost the 2014 T20 World Cup final and were eliminated in the semi-finals in 2016.

In ODIs, they went down in the semis in 2015 and again in 2019. Team India also ended up as runners-up in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

While discussing India’s failure to win an ICC tournament in almost a decade, Kapil admitted that it wouldn’t be wrong to call them chokers. Speaking on ABP Live, he commented:

“Yes, we can call them chokers. That’s okay. They always come close and then choke.” The former India captain was, however, quick to add, "But don’t be too harsh. I agree, India played bad cricket, but we cannot be overly critical based on just one game.”

Praising the opposition for outplaying the Men in Blue, Kapil stated:

“England read the pitch better and played better cricket. We should not be too harsh on our players. These are the same guys who have brought laurels to the country.”

Chasing 169 for a place in the T20 World Cup 2022 final, England openers Jos Buttler (80* off 49) and Alex Hales (86* off 47) were involved in a record 170-run stand - the highest partnership in the history of the T20 World Cup.

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“From the very start, we were poor with the ball” - Kapil Dev not pleased with Team India’s bowlers

Sharing his thoughts on Team India’s performance against England in the semi-final, Kapil opined that the batters did well to post 168, but the bowlers were disappointing. He said:

“168-170 is a good score. But if you don’t bowl according to the pitch, then this is what is going to happen. It is very easy to say in hindsight, but look at the number of shorts balls they bowled.

"When even the spinners are bowling short, then what can you expect? From the very start, we were poor with the ball. Had we conceded 12-13 runs in three-four overs, we could have built some pressure.”

India’s bowlers were very expensive against England. Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 25 in his two overs, while Mohammed Shami conceded 39 in his three. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also gave away 27 runs in two overs.