T20 World Cup: 'It's about keeping calm, we were nervy at the start,' admits Rohit after India crash out

India captain Rohit Sharma has said that it is "about keeping calm" before admitting that his side was "nervy" at the beginning of the second innings.

England hammered India by 10 wickets at Adelaide Oval on Thursday to reach the final of the T20 World Cup 2022, where they will face Pakistan. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales put up a record-breaking unbeaten partnership of 170 while chasing India's target of 169.

The unbeaten 170-run stand of Buttler and Hales is the highest partnership in T20 World Cups for any wicket. They bettered the previous record of 168 that was held by South Africa's Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw. It was also the second-highest partnership for any wicket against India in the T20Is.

Hales, who was included in England's T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for injured Jonny Bairstow, struck seven sixes and four fours in his knock of 86 not out off 47 deliveries. He scored the runs at an incredible strike-rate of 182.98. Buttler, who is now one win away from becoming the second England captain to lift the T20 World Cup, scored at a strike-rate of 163.27. He contributed with a 49-ball 80, including three sixes and nine fours.

At the post-match presentation, Rohit said that he was left disappointed with the way the game turned out to be. India were 136 for 4 when Virat Kohli got out at the completion of 18 overs. Hardik Pandya rose to the occasion and helped India post a respectable total of 168 for 6 in 20 overs. Hardik scored a 33-ball 63, where he struck five sixes and four fours.

"Pretty disappointed how it turned up today. We batted well at the backend to get that score. We were not upto the mark with the ball, we couldn't turn up today. It's all about handling the pressure in knockout games. All these guys have played enough to understand that. These guys have played under pressure in IPL games, it's all about keeping calm. We were nervy to start with, but you got to give credit to their openers, they played really well," added Rohit after India's humiliating loss in Adelaide.

Rohit went on to add that while his team were aware of the swing and where the runs were being scored with ease, yet they couldn't manage to execute their plans on Thursday.

"I thought it swung a bit in the first over, but not from the right areas. We know the runs are scored square off the wicke, we were aware about it. When we won the first game, it showed a lot of character. The game against Bangladesh, it was a tricky one.

"I thought it was difficult defending 85 runs in 9 overs, but we held our nerve and executed our plans. Couldn't do that today, and when you don't execute your plans, you are in trouble," Rohit explained.

England and Pakistan will now lock horns for the coveted T20 World Cup trophy on Sunday (Nov. 13) at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Whichever side wins, it will join West Indies as two-time World T20 champions.