IND vs ENG: “We Were Outplayed And Outclassed; Should Have Got 180-185” – Rahul Dravid After India's World Cup Exit

India National Cricket Team head coach Rahul Dravid has said that the Men In Blue were “outplayed and outclassed” in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 against England.

Rohit Sharma-led India faced an embarrassing 10-wicket loss against the Three Lions led by Jos Buttler in the World Cup semi-final game at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. Batting first, India posted 168/6 on the board with the help of Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli’s half-centuries.

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However, the total was not at all enough, as the England openers – Alex Hales and Jos Buttler – demolished the Indian bowlers and chased down the target in 16 overs.

Speaking at a post-match press conference, Rahul Dravid expressed disappointment over India’s semi-final loss to England. He added that the Indian team should have posted around 180-185 runs on the board in order to give some fight to Jos Buttler & Co.

“Obviously disappointed to finish at the semi-finals. We would have liked to go a couple of steps further. But we were outplayed and outclassed. England was the better team in every department and the scoreline shows that,” said Dravid at a post-match press conference.

“We have been batting well. We were one of those teams who got 180-plus scores here (in Australia) two to three times in this tournament. When we started, the boys said it (surface) was tacky and slow. At the end of 15-over mark, we were around 15-20 runs short. In death overs, we were good, with Hardik being brilliant. We should have got 180-185 at the end,” he added.

Our boys do miss out on such opportunities – Rahul Dravid on India players playing overseas T20 leagues

Rahul Dravid further said that Team India players, who are only allowed to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), miss out on opportunities to participate in overseas T20 leagues, which might be beneficial for the players.

“Our boys do miss out on such opportunities. BCCI is there to take decisions. But if all players are allowed to play in such leagues, we would not have our domestic cricket. Ranji etc would be finished, Test cricket would be finished. We have to understand the challenges that Indian cricket faces in such situations. Our boys are being asked to play in such leagues. But then playing Tests is also important for the format,” he said.

Also Read: Watch: Rohit Sharma Breaks Down In Dugout After India’s Semi-Final Defeat To England At Adelaide Oval