India crashed to an 18-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their Cricket World Cup semifinal clash at Old Trafford. Batsman Rohit Sharma has accepted that Men in Blue failed to perform when it mattered.
India were touted as one of the favorites to lift the trophy on July 14 at Lord's, but a collapse in the performances of their crucial batsmen resulted in a defeat.
Rohit tweeted, "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".
The top order fell to the pressure of Black Caps pacers, with Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli getting dismissed for a run each.
Earlier even captain Virat Kohli had stated that 45 minutes of bad cricket resulted in a defeat for his team.
"It's a game of margins ... 45 minutes of bad cricket can throw you out. New Zealand deserved to win ... they were sharper in crunch moments," said Kohli.
