Gros Islet (St Lucia), June 25: He is addressed as Mr 360 degree for his ability to send the cricket ball round the park with ease. He is the No 1 ICC batter as per rankings in T20 format.
But even the T20 expert Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) could not believe the intensity, authority and spontaneity with which his skipper dominated the Australian bowlers in their final Super Eight match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Monday.
Suryakumar was in awe with the batting brilliance of Indian captain Rohit Sharma delivering a masterclass innings, scoring 92 off just 41 balls against the mighty Aussies.
Rohit's performance was more than just a show of skill. From the very first over, he capitalised on the strong breeze blowing across the venue. His innings set a dominant tone for India, propelling them to a commanding position by the end of the powerplay.
"It felt like a dream, he batted beautifully. Before coming here we sat together, we talked about it, how we want to approach and what brand of cricket we want to play, and he showed us the way," said Suryakumar Yadav during the innings break.
The Indian captain's comments after the match revealed the meticulous planning behind his effortless brilliance. "I thought right from over number one that there was a strong breeze blowing across. They changed their plan, bowling against the breeze, so I realized I had to open up the off-side as well," said Rohit.
Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh, who played a crucial role with the ball by taking 3/37, was not surprised by Rohit's resurgence. "As a team, we always talk in the dressing room that personal scores don't matter much as long as the team is doing nice. We knew he is a legend and the big knock was around the corner all the time. So, we were not surprised by the way he played today and it came off really well. We just hope he does the same for us in the coming games," Arshdeep said during the post-game press conference.
India's victory over Australia, bolstered by Rohit's spectacular innings and Arshdeep's pivotal wickets, have set the stage for their semi-final clash against defending champions England in Guyana on June 27.
The winner of this match will progress to the final in Barbados two days later.
Well as India face England the two former ICC T20 World champions, the stakes would be too high. The onus would be again on Rohit and the Indian top order to perform well against a strong English attack. (With IANS support)
