GROS-ISLET: Rohit Sharma’s blistering innings of 92 runs off just 41 balls propelled India to a formidable total of 205-5 against Australia in a crucial Super 8 stage match of the T20 World Cup at St. Lucia on Monday.
India, led by captain Rohit Sharma, aimed to secure a spot in the semi-finals with a commanding batting display after Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to field.
India’s innings got off to a rocky start when star batsman Virat Kohli departed for a five-ball duck, caught brilliantly by Tim David off Josh Hazlewood, who conceded just 14 runs in his four overs.
However, Rohit Sharma quickly took charge and dominated the Australian bowling attack. He was particularly aggressive against Mitchell Starc, smashing 29 runs off one over that included four towering sixes. Rohit’s onslaught featured two successive sixes over extra-cover, a massive hit over deep midwicket, and a top-edged full toss over the wicketkeeper’s head.
Rohit’s innings, which included seven fours and eight sixes, was building towards a century but ended when Starc bowled him with a superb yorker in the 12th over, leaving India at 127-3.
Despite Rohit’s dismissal, India maintained momentum with contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (31), Shivam Dube (28), and Hardik Pandya (27 not out), ensuring a challenging target for Australia.
Reflecting on Rohit’s innings, Suryakumar Yadav commented during the innings break, “It was like a dream watching Rohit, he batted so beautifully. Before coming here, we spoke about how we wanted to approach our batting, and he led by example.”
Australia’s bowling struggled to contain India’s batting firepower, with Starc finishing with 2-45 while Pat Cummins remained wicketless, conceding 48 runs.
A victory for India in this match, following Australia’s unexpected defeat to Afghanistan, would secure their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Despite their loss, Australia remains in contention for the semi-finals, depending on other match results in the group.
India, seeking redemption after losing to Australia in the final of last year’s 50-over World Cup, will look to their bowlers to defend the imposing total and continue their quest for T20 World Cup glory.
An Australia win will likely see them into the last four but they will not necessarily be eliminated if they lose, with Afghanistan in action against Bangladesh later Monday.
View this post on Instagram
