‘We can call them chokers’ – Kapil Dev’s sensational claims post India’s semi-final exit in 20-20 World Cup 2022

The Indian team led by Rohit Sharma crashed out of the ongoing 20-20 World Cup 2022 on the back of their sepulchral performance against England on November 10, Thursday. After getting thrashed out in the group stage during the previous edition of the international tournament, the Men in Blue did exceptionally well in the Super 12 of the current edition, only to bow out in the knockouts. 

With England and Pakistan all set to face off each other in the summit clash on Sunday, Kapil Dev, the former Indian cricketer, who was disappointed with the defeat, said that the current Indian team deserve to be called ‘chokers’ but only if fans wanted. 

For the unversed, after putting on 168 runs on the board, the team coached by Rahul Dravid failed to defend the same and the Three Lions clinched a mighty win as they chased down the target with 10 wickets to spare in 16 overs. 

Don’t be too harsh: Kapil Dev

Kapil, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, said that the fans must not be too sceptical of the team as they played well until the knockout disappointment. Further, the former allrounder said that one dismal performance could not determine the quality of the team, and reasonably, India ended up as the Group 2 toppers with only one loss to their name. 

“Yes, we can call them chokers. That’s okay. They come close and then choke. But don’t be too harsh. I agree, India played bad cricket, but we cannot be overly critical based on just one game,” Kapil said on ABP News. 

Concerning the match, the England team led by Jos Buttler, after winning the toss, successfully restricted India from posting a mammoth total, which fans considered was sub-par. Alex Hales, who opened the innings for the team, alongside their skipper, produced a great start and ended up scoring an unbeaten 86 off 47 balls. 

Buttler, on the other hand, gathered 80 runs off 49 balls and helped the Three Lions storm into the finals, which will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. As things stand, India would hope to sort out the bottlenecks and bounce back in the upcoming 2023 50-over World Cup.