MANCHESTER — Indian batsman Rohit Sharma acknowledged that his team “failed to deliver when it mattered” in the lost World Cup semifinal clash against New Zealand, saying his “heart is heavy” after the disappointment.
Among the pre-tournament favourites, India lost by 18 runs to the Black Caps in a rain-hit low-scoring semifinal on Wednesday.
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The top three Indian batsmen, including Rohit, managed just one run each in a chase of 240.
“We failed to deliver as a team when it mattered, 30 minutes of poor cricket yesterday & that snatched away our chance for the cup. My heart is heavy as I’m sure yours is too.The support away from home was incredible.Thank you all for painting most of uk blue wherever we played,” tweeted the opener, referring to the top-order failure which left the scorecard reading 5/3 in the first four overs itself.
Earlier, skipper Virat Kohli had blamed the loss on “45 minutes of bad cricket”.
India might be out of the competition but Rohit continues to top the highest run-getters’ list at the ongoing event.
The right-hander amassed 648 runs in nine matches, including a world record five hundreds.
He is likely to remain in that position as nearest competition David Warner is also out of contention after Australia were sent packing with an eight-wicket loss to England in Birmingham on Thursday.