England captain Jos Buttler was highly disappointed after his team squandered a golden opportunity to win the World Cup game against India after restricting the hosts to a below-par total of 229. England lost the match by 100 runs as the batting lineup folded for a timid total of 129. 

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Speaking at the post-match ceremony, Buttler reflected on the poor performance by the defending champions and said the batters did not put their hands up today.

“Very disappointed. At the halfway stage, chasing 230 seeing how well we bowled as well, we should have fancied ourselves. Same old story,” said Buttler. 

“I wasn’t sure if the dew would come or not. Just the gut feel said that we had to chase. I think we’ve bowled this tournament to create pressure for wickets. If we were given 230 at the halfway stage we’d have been happy with that,” he added. 

Were 20 runs short: Rohit Sharma 

Indian captain Rohit Sharma was adjudged Player of the Match for his brilliant 87-run inning and astute captaincy. With the pitch playing a bit slow, the Indian skipper curbed his natural game and soaked in the pressure when the team lost early wickets. 

“It was a challenging pitch, it got better to bat on as the game progressed, but happy with that win. I have got experience, it’s not only about going out there and playing my shots (got to assess the conditions and situation) as well. It was necessary for me to create that partnership with KL,” said Sharma. 

Sharma added that India were 20 runs short despite the win as a few players, including him, threw their wickets at the end. 

“A couple of guys threw it away at the end including myself. All I was thinking of was to be positive and put away the ball in my area. But yeah we were a few runs short. It’s not something you see every day when you have a total like that.” 

With the win, India have climbed to the top of the points table and have one foot in the knockouts. Meanwhile, England continue to languish at the bottom and have all but crashed out of the tournament. 

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The tame performance by the defending champions could have long-term ramifications as ICC has confirmed that qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy depends on the World Cup ground standings. 

The top seven sides at the end of the league stage will qualify for the eight-team competition. Pakistan will qualify by virtue of being the host nation. 

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