(Credit X)
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has praised India’s captain Rohit Sharma for his outstanding leadership in the crucial Super 8 encounter against Australia in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Despite India’s strong position to qualify for the semifinals, a loss to Australia would have complicated matters. However, Rohit Sharma ensured that such a scenario didn’t materialize with a stellar performance. After a shaky start that saw Virat Kohli dismissed for a duck in the second over, Rohit Sharma launched a spectacular assault on the Australian bowlers.
Rohit Sharma’s blistering innings of 92 runs off just 41 balls, featuring 7 fours and a record-breaking 8 sixes, propelled India to a formidable total of 205/5 – their highest in the ongoing T20 World Cup. This commanding total laid the foundation for India to eventually secure a 24-run victory, restricting Australia to 181/7 and booking their place in the semifinals in impressive fashion.
Mohammad Hafeez says It was a Rohit show
After Rohit Sharma’s exceptional performance against Australia, Mohammad Hafeez has showered him with accolades, emphasizing that the Indian captain deserves to win the World Cup for his courageous performance. In a video posted on X, the former Pakistan cricketer credited Rohit’s stunning innings as the highlight, labeling it as one of the finest displays by a captain.
“When you set big goals then your pedigree increases. If I talk about Rohit, India’s leadership deserves to win the World Cup. The way he played unconditional cricket like a champion player. He didn’t care if there was any seam or swing,” said Mohammad Hafeez.
“Special effort and you can’t praise anyone enough when you weigh their performances with Rohit, others efforts would only look smaller. Rohit is the only person at the moment who deserves to win this World Cup for India.”
“It was a Rohit show. We witnessed one of the best innings from a captain. If you speak about leading from the front. He changed just one thing, there was no doubt about his quality. One thing, he changed within himself was the selfless approach,” he added.
Expanding on his thoughts, Mohammad Hafeez commended Rohit Sharma for his unselfish batting approach since assuming the captaincy. Hafeez also reminisced about the previous year’s ODI World Cup, highlighting Rohit’s leadership at the forefront that propelled the team to a second-place finish. Rohit earned acclaim not just for his captaincy but also for his batting prowess during that tournament.
“The way he has evolved with the game, he was an exceptional player but has gone to a great zone just by changing to selfless approach.”
“The way he played his innings, he planned this last year and started the execution accordingly. If you see the last 50-over World Cup, he was the standout performer for India. Regardless of the situation, he was playing selfless.
“The most impressing part of his innings was that he was not thinking about any of his milestones and was hitting the ball accordingly. And at the post-match he said, ’50s and 100s doesn’t matter to me now’. Because he knows what he wants to be, he doesn’t want to be having a hundred centuries. He wants to be a champion player, who will always be remembered, winning ICC trophies,” said Hafeez.
Meanwhile, India is set to face the defending champions in the semifinals of the current T20 World Cup, with the match slated for Thursday (June 27).
