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Rohit Sharma’s standout performance against Australia in the Super 8 match in St Lucia has garnered widespread acclaim. His rapid 92 off 41 balls laid the foundation for India’s total of 205. Australia, chasing, managed only 181/7, leading to their elimination from the tournament. Rohit’s innings is being hailed as the standout performance of the tournament so far.
In the ICC World Cup final against Australia, Rohit had played a similarly explosive innings, providing India with a quick start. However, his dismissal proved pivotal as India eventually lost the final.
This time, Rohit exhibited a focused approach to his gameplan, highlighted by his crucial catch to dismiss Travis Head, who had been instrumental in Australia’s victory in the ODI World Cup final.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar praised Rohit Sharma’s selfless approach throughout the tournament. From the outset, Rohit focused on providing India with quick starts, which became more consistent during the Super 8s. His most significant impact came in the match against Australia.
“What people and fans are realizing with Rohit Sharma is this is a guy who’s obviously got the skills how easily he plays the big shots against quality bowlers. But his selflessness, that is the most appealing thing about him. He doesn’t worry about Rohit Sharma, I am the big-name player here. I must get a score, I must get a fifty. He’s out there and just trying to maximize returns on every ball. Some shots are very risky but he is happy to play them. Even when he got out in the 90s, he was not going to be taking too much time to get to his hundred” Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo.
Sanjay Manjrekar – Rohit Sharma Is The Leader Of A New Thought In Indian Cricket
He also noted that Rohit Sharma has been backing up his words with actions by consistently scoring quickly in white-ball cricket since the ODI World Cup. This approach proved highly beneficial for India in that tournament and particularly in the match against Australia.
“He is the leader of this new thought in Indian cricket here it is about just trying to score quickly” added Manjrekar.
After his innings against Australia, Rohit Sharma’s tally for the tournament stands at 191 runs from six matches, averaging 38.20 with a strike rate nearing 160. His innings included 16 fours and 13 sixes, with 8 sixes coming in that remarkable knock against Australia. Currently, Rahmanullah Gurbaz leads the run-scoring charts with 281 runs but was unfortunate to be dismissed for a duck in the semi-final against South Africa. Rohit now has an opportunity to increase his total in the semi-final against England.
In the second semi-final in Guyana, rain remains a persistent threat. There is no reserve day scheduled, but an additional time frame of 250 minutes is allocated to complete the game if interrupted. Should rain affect the match, India, having topped their group in the Super 8s, would advance to face South Africa in the final on Sunday.
