Raving about Rohit Sharma after India handed Australia a knockout blow in the Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has placed his bet on the India captain to bail out the Men In Blue in the semi-finals of the showpiece event. Rohit was at his brutal best as India exacted its World Cup 2023 final revenge on Australia in the ICC World T20.
The Rahul Dravid-coached side not only extended their unbeaten run, but the 2007 champions also sanctioned an early exit of the mighty Australian side from the ICC tournament. Australia-conquerors India and Afghanistan punched their semi-final tickets from Group 1, while England and South Africa made their way to the last four of the tournament from the second group.
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Gavaskar places bet on revenge-hungry Rohit
When asked about India’s rematch of the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against defending champions England, batting legend Gavaskar opted to put the spotlight on skipper Rohit in a post-match discussion. “Very excited. Look, this format is very exciting. Very entertaining. You get to see so many shots that you won’t see in the longest format of the game. You get to see so many deliveries that you don’t get to see. So it’s a very exciting format, and the way the teams have been playing, particularly India against Australia, it was amazing!,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
What southpaw weakness?
Gavaskar credited Rohit for showing intent even after India parted ways with Virat Kohli in the powerplay against Australia. Launching an all-out attack on Australian pacers, Rohit demolished strike bowler Mitchell Starc in an unprecedented 29-run over bowled by the Australian veteran. The 37-year-old smoked four sixes off Starc to ensure the speedster recorded an unwanted feat at the T20 World Cup.
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‘Despite losing Kohli in the previous over…’
“Rohit Sharma, leading from the front, hitting those big sixes. Despite losing Kohli in the previous over, it just tells you the intent – the captain of the Indian team has. They gonna go out and try and maximise their abilities and win matches for the team,” Gavaskar added.
Record-fest Rohit ready for England challenge
Rewriting record books in Australia’s must-win encounter, Rohit powered India to a match-winning total of 205-5 in 20 overs. India registered the joint-highest total against Australia in a T20 World Cup game to enter the semi-finals of the ICC event. Rohit’s 92-run knock off 41 balls paved the way for the India skipper to become the all-time leading run-getter in the shortest format. Rohit surpassed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to regain the top spot.
Can England stop the Hitman juggernaut?
The Hitman smoked record eight sixes to break Yuvraj Singh’s T20 World Cup record. No batter has hit more sixes than Rohit in a single T20 World Cup game. The fastest half-century maker at the 2024 World Cup, Rohit became the first batter to complete 200 sixes in T20Is. Reigning world champions England will have to snap India’s winning streak at the T20 World Cup 2024 to enter the final on Thursday.