The result of India’s 68-run thrashing of England in the second T20 World Cup semi-final could have been quite different if it weren’t for Rohit Sharma tenacious half-century. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel emerged as heroes with the ball. On one of the hardest grounds of this World Cup, the captain of India struck for 57 off 39 balls, giving the rest of his batsmen confidence that with a little bit of effort, India might reach a par score. Anything around 160 may test the opponents on this sort of surface, but anything between 190 and 200 would always be audacious. India’s depth at bat allowed them to score 11 more runs in the end and win easily by 68 runs to guarantee their spot in the championship.
If not for the ninety-minute delay between rainstorms, India may have received a little more. After eight overs, they had raced to 65/1 when the rain came back and forced a lengthy stop. Rohit sharma and Suryakumar Yadav had to start again when play restarted. Seeing their chance, England turned to spin specialists Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone, who helped to curb India’s recent spate of boundary-hitting.
But Rohit would have none of it. Livingstone delivered a first over that was calm and only yielded four runs. However, the captain of India made the decision to remove the restraints when facing Livingstone’s second over. Rohit looked to Surya at the non-striker end after playing a dot in the last delivery of the over and remarked, ‘Upar daala toh deta hu na’ (If he pitches it full, I’ll go after it). As promised, Rohit struck his first six of the innings with a half-volley the very next ball. Incredulous, even Suryakumar put his hands on his head.
The six gave Indie a boost back in the game. India appeared to be back in the rhythm as Rohit and Suryakumar slapped another six each. As Rashid and Chris Jordan removed Rohit and Suryakumar in rapid succession, England did, in fact, sigh with relief. However, India managed to reach an above-par total because to the useful contributions of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.
Rohit Sharma’s never-ending purple patch
Another feather in Rohit’s crown was the 5000 runs he scored in his innings as captain of the Indian cricket team. Since India’s elimination in Adelaide 2022, Rohit has batted like a man possessed, captaining India to 16 victories in 17 ICC tournament matches. There has been an increase in his own shape. Rohit scored 597 runs at the 2023 World Cup and has now carried that form into this tournament, finishing third with 248 runs from 7 games, including three half-centuries.
With one more victory, Rohit and India may achieve their greatest achievement—winning the T20 World Cup. India hasn’t won an ICC trophy or a World Cup in any format in a long, long time—13 long years. After coming dangerously near on a few previous times, Saturday represents this unit’s finest opportunity to make amends and lessen the suffering caused by November 19, 2023.
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