Ben Stokes, England’s cricket player has defined some experiences he felt against India in the semifinals of ICC T20 World Cup back in 2019.
Ben Stokes slammed India’s run-chase against England in World Cup 2019
Ben Stokes has opened up on MS Dhoni’s no intention to win the game as when they needed 112 runs off 11 overs, instead of going for big hits, Dhoni focused on singles. Appreciating India’s strength, he said that they could have made it even with a dozen balls remaining.
“MS Dhoni showed no intent to win the game against us, Arguably the way MS Dhoni played when he came in with 112 runs needed from 11 overs was even stranger. He appeared more intent on singles than sixes. Even with a dozen balls remaining, India could still have won,” Ben Stokes writes in his book.
He slammed India’s main batsman, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, and maintained saying that the game was strategic to England’s side more than to their side from India. He said that the men in blue did not intend to win the game and lost on purpose.
“The way Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played was mystifying. I know that we bowled brilliantly well during this period, but the way they went about their batting just seemed bizarre. They allowed their team to get so far behind the game. They showed no desire to put any pressure back onto our team, content instead to just drift along, a tactic that was clearly playing into our hands.” Stokes added, who played a key role in England’s successful World Cup campaign.
Also, he mentioned that Pakistan would have been a better opponent than India as they were difficult to beat throughout the mega-event.
“On paper, I think Pakistan was the toughest team to beat in that WC Pakistan should be in Semis instead of India.”
