T20 WC: Rohit’s brutal onslaught obliterates Australia pacers, propels India to 205/5

GROS ISLET (St Lucia): Captain Rohit Sharma’s brutal onslaught obliterated the Australia pacers, leaving the Aussie bowlers rattled with no answer as he propelled India to 205/5 in their Super 8 Group-1 clash in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Sunday (Monday in India).

It was raining sixes in St Lucia as the captain batted like a dream, mixing aggression with pure class, while Suryakumar Yadav (31), Shivam Dube (28) and Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten power-pack knock of 27 took India to a formidable total. India hit 15 sixes in the innings, 8 of which came from Rohit’s bat.

For Australia, Josh Hazlewood, however, kept things tight as he conceded just 10 off his 3 overs to ensure the powerplay ended at 60/1. Meanwhile, the Indian batting lineup destroyed Mitchell Starc, who conceded 45, while Pat Cummins gave away 0/48 and Marcus Stoinis returned with a figure of 2/56.

Put to bat first, India captain Rohit Sharma started off India’s charge with a boundary in the very first over of the match. Josh Hazlewood gave India a major blow as he outfoxed Virat Kohli in the second over with a bouncer.

Hazlewood delivered a short, fastball with extra bounce, which caught Kohli off guard. Kohli attempted a pull shot, but only got a top edge that went wide mid-on and Tim David showed outstanding athleticism by sprinting back from inside the circle for 25 metres to make a well-judged catch, sending Kohli back to the pavilion without scoring from five balls faced.

This early exit aggravated Kohli’s problems in the competition, as his performance as an opener failed to provide the required results. In the third over, Rohit went berserk against Mitchell Starc as he hammered the pacer for 6,6,4,6,0,6, gathering 29 runs.

With fearless and courageous batting approach India captain slammed a 19-ball half-century also the fastest fifty of the ongoing tournament. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was brought into the attack after the powerplay and the bowler was decimated by the Indian duo of Rohit and Rishabh Pant.

India lost their second wicket as Pant was out for 15. The wicketkeeper-batter tried to play one to the leg side, but Hazlewood, at mid-off, took a simple catch. India slammed 100 in just 8.4 overs.

Australia pacer Starc rattled Rohit’s stumps to give a major blow to India. The India captain missed a well-deserved hundred as he fell for 92 off 41 balls. Rohit’s wicket invited Shivam Dube to the crease and the batter deposited four into the mid-wicket region, leaving no respite for Zampa.

After all Australia bowlers leaked runs it was Hazlewood, who kept the tight hold, ending his spell with 1/14 where most of his pals are going at 10s and 12s in an over.

In the 19th over, Shivam Dube fell prey to Marcus Stoinis after scoring 28 runs. Towards the end, Hardik Pandya chipped in with a quickfire cameo and Ravindra Jadeja played a useful hand too to get India past 200.

Brief score: India 205/5 (Rohit Sharma 92, Suryakumar Yadav 31; Mitchell Starc 2/45) vs Australia. (ANI)