Hardik Pandya is 'devastated, gutted, hurt' after India's painful exit from T20 World Cup

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya penned a heartfelt note on social media after his team's shocking defeat in the semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. England defeated India by a huge margin of 10 wickets to advance to the final of the competition. Hardik took to his official Instagram handle to share a few pictures from the tournament along with a caption describing his feelings after the loss against England on Thursday. 

Hardik Pandya reflects on 'tough to take' loss to England

Hardik wrote that he is "devastated, gutted and hurt" with the outcome of the game, adding that it's a tough pill to swallow for him and his teammates. The 29-year-old further added that he enjoyed the bond that he and his teammates built over the course of the tournament. Hardik went on to thank the support staff for their dedication and hard work before expressing his gratitude to the fans who backed Team India everywhere they went. 

"Devastated, gutted, hurt. Tough to take, for all of us. To my teammates, I’ve enjoyed the bond that we built - we fought for each other every step of the way. Thank you to our support staff for their endless dedication and hardwork for months on end. To our fans who backed us everywhere we went, we’re forever grateful. It wasn’t meant to be but we’ll reflect and keep fighting," Hardik wrote in the caption of his post. 

India vs England

Hardik played a crucial role for his team in the semifinal against England as he scored 63 off just 33 balls to help India post a respectable total. Hardik's knock powered India to 168/6 in 20 overs. Virat Kohli was also instrumental in helping India recover from a shaky start after opener KL Rahul was dismissed early yet again. Kohli scored 50 off 40 balls before being dismissed by Chris Jordan. Rohit Sharma also contributed to the total but he scored with a strike rate unacceptable in T20 cricket. 

In the second innings, England scored 170/0 in just 16 overs to successfully chased down the target. For England, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler forged an unbeaten partnership as they scored 86 and 80 runs, respectively. The Indian bowlers failed to pick up a wicket during the match, allowing England to easily reach the mark with 24 balls remaining. Hales' superb batting display in the powerplay earned him the title of player of the match.

Image: Twitter/HardikPandya