The air was thick with anticipation, the promise of a classic between two powerhouse teams looming large, but the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup devolved into a no-contest at the Adelaide Oval. On a balmy Thursday night, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales knocked the stuffing out of Rohit Sharma’s men, plundering a 10-wicket win with 24 deliveries to spare and setting up a Sunday date with Pakistan in the final at the MCG.

A competent bowling display after Buttler won the toss meant India posted no more than 168 for six, and that was only because Hardik Pandya cut loose towards the back-end of the innings. The spoils were shared around, but the star of the show was Adil Rashid, the leg-spinner, who only conceded 20 runs in his four overs and picked up dangerman Suryakumar Yadav cheaply.