Kuldeep: 'Beating England not that tough'

LUCKNOW, India — India spinner Kuldeep Yadav on Sunday said beating a struggling England team at the World Cup "wasn't that tough", but a good victory nonetheless against the defending champion.

The host extended its unbeaten run to six games in the tournament with a 100-run win to all but book its place in the semifinals.

India posted 229-9 before fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah combined to bowl out the opposition for 129 in 34.5 overs.

"I mean to be very honest it was good to win — beating the defending champions," Kuldeep, who took two wickets including England skipper Jos Buttler bowled for 10, told reporters.

"They don't have the great tournament so far. So it wasn't that tough — they restricted us for like 230."

The left-arm wrist spinner added: "We thought probably we have to pick early wickets to be in the game and certainly Jasprit and Shami did and after they were four down for 40 runs, we were just trying to bowl in perfect areas and make them make mistakes."

Shami returned figures of 4-22 and Bumrah struck three times at the start to flatten the opposition batting.

India lost to England in the 2019 World Cup which ended with England winning the trophy for the first time.

"I mean, I think conditions matter a lot. They have the best team," Kuldeep said when asked to compare England of 2019 and now.

"They played some really good cricket over the years and they have the same players. So, nothing changes."

'Same old story'

England captain Buttler admitted it was "the same old story" for his beleaguered team.

Only an unlikely mathematical miracle will save England, who is rock-bottom of the 10-nation tournament having won fewer games than even the non-Test playing Netherlands.

"Very disappointing. At the halfway stage chasing 230 we fancied ourselves. But it's the same old story," said Buttler.

"The gut feeling was that we wanted to chase. It is as good as we have been with the ball throughout the tournament. We took some good wickets so we are very disappointed."

The weary looking skipper added: "Whatever way you want to approach the game it is about being committed. For me it was soaking up pressure, building up partnerships and killing pressure.

"It is about executing your skills. Chasing 230, there wasn't scoreboard pressure. We're falling short."

All-rounder Chris Woakes was similarly downbeat. "If we could buy some confidence at the minute we would spend a lot of money on it. It's hard to bottle that up," he said.

"When you haven't got confidence then you tend to play some rash shots or make some indecisions."

India skipper Rohit Sharma led the charge for his team with 87 as India posted 229-9, a total that looked below par but proved enough for a struggling England side on a sluggish pitch.

England had a disastrous start and never recovered from being 52-5.

"This was a game that showed a lot of character in our squad. When times were tough, our experienced players stood up at the right time and fought for us," said Sharma, his country's top run scorer in the tournament after Virat Kohli was out for nought.

"Defending 230 is not something you see every day. You know you have got to take early wickets and put the pressure on. With the experience that our seamers have, I can always rely on them to come good."

Sharma added: "We have got a good balance in our attack. Good spinners and experienced seamers. If I look at my options as a captain, there is plenty for me to work with."

AFP