Never said public isn't behind us, says Jonny Bairstow

After facing backlash over his comment that 'fans want us to fail', England opening batsman Jonny Bairstow said, 'the past week was a difficult one.' He also clarified that at no point he had said that public isn't behind the England cricket team.

His remarks come after England's 31-run win over India in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. "It was a difficult week for me. At no point, I said that the public isn't behind us and the interview was taken with six-eight journalists around. But that's part and parcel of it, you cannot change anything," Bairstow told reporters.

 

Bairstow even said that the game against India was a crucial one for England as their semi-final chances depended on this particular match.

"It was obvious that we had not played our best cricket last week. This match was crucial for our semi-final chances. The application everyone showed in the match was wonderful and the team effort was truly outstanding," Bairstow added.

The opening batsman who registered his first World Cup century as he played a knock of 111 runs said that on the Edgbaston wicket it was not easy to face seam bowlers and added that there was no deliberate move to attack the Indian spinners.

"It was a difficult start. It was difficult to face seam on that wicket. The way we played against spin was wonderful. We did not deliberately try to hit the spinners around the park. At the end of the day you have to enjoy playing cricket," Bairstow said.

In the match between India and England, the latter won the toss and opted to bat first. England went on to post a challenging score of 337 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted fifty overs.

Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow gave England solid base at the top as they stitched together a partnership of 160 runs. Roy was dismissed for 66 whereas Bairstow went on to score a century.

Bairstow was sent back to the pavilion after playing a knock of 111 runs, but Ben Stokes played a 79-run innings to propel England to more than 330 runs.

Chasing 338, India's opening batsman Rohit Sharma registered his third century in the ongoing tournament. Indian skipper Virat Kohli also registered a half-century, becoming the first skipper to register five consecutive fifties in the World Cup.

But India fell short by 31 runs in the end. This win has enabled England to reach the fourth spot in the tournament standings.

England will next face New Zealand on July 3.