(ICC Credit)
Indian captain Rohit Sharma is currently taking a break following India’s recent triumph in the T20 World Cup. Last month, India secured a hard-fought victory over South Africa in the final, clinching the title by a narrow margin of seven runs. India posted a formidable total of 176 runs, and South Africa fell short in their chase of 177.
This victory marked India’s first ICC title in 11 years, adding to their previous wins in the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2012). It also marked India’s second T20 World Cup triumph, coming after a gap of 17 years. Rohit Sharma, who has participated in every T20 World Cup edition, stands out as the only player to have won the tournament both as a player and as captain.
Following the win, Rohit expressed his long-held desire to bring an ICC title home for India. Under his leadership, India had faced defeats in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final, the WTC 2023 final, and the ODI World Cup final before finally achieving success in the T20 format. Notably, Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired from T20I cricket after securing the title.
Recently, a video surfaced on social media showing Rohit Sharma humorously interacting with fans at a public event. Amidst chants of Mitchell Starc’s name, Rohit playfully urged the excited crowd to calm down, saying, “Calm down guys.” The video quickly gained popularity across various social media platforms.
Rohit Sharma concluded the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer, accumulating 257 runs from eight matches at an impressive average of 36.71. His strike rate remained consistently above 150 throughout the competition. The highlight of his batting prowess came in the final against Australia, where his commanding innings of 92 runs ensured India’s victory, knocking Australia out of contention. For Rohit, this performance held personal significance, as it served as a measure of redemption following India’s loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final.
In contrast, Mitchell Starc reflected on his own performance during a recent podcast. Despite his contribution with the bat, scoring a valuable knock, Starc’s bowling figures in the final against India were less favorable. He conceded 45 runs from his four overs, managing to take two crucial wickets but also conceding 29 runs in a single over, which proved costly.
“I’ve played a lot against him. He had a good tournament, especially in our game. I think he targeted that wind in St. Lucia as well. If you look at the runs from each end, one end went for a lot more than the other. I bowled from that end. I bowled five bad balls and he hit them all for six” said Starc on Rohit on the LiSTNR Sport Podcast.
Mitchell Starc’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024 turned out to be forgettable, as he managed to secure only five wickets across the tournament, averaging over 30 with an economy rate of 8.55. Australia’s early exit from the competition, following losses to Afghanistan and India, further compounded his disappointment.
In a podcast discussion, Starc candidly addressed several challenges encountered during the tournament, including grueling travel schedules that affected team preparation and performance. He also criticized the tournament’s pre-seeding system, expressing concerns about its impact on the significance of group stage results. These factors collectively contributed to Australia’s unexpected departure from the T20 World Cup, leaving Starc and his teammates reflecting on missed opportunities and areas for improvement moving forward.
