Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Rohit Sharma for playing a match-defining knock in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final win against England. Rohit smashed 57 runs off 39 deliveries with the help of six fours and two sixes as well. However, Rohit Sharma’s fifty helped India post a 172-run target after being asked to bat first in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The Indian team then bundled England out for 103 to register an emphatic 68-run win to book their berth in the final against South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, June 29 as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “England were beaten up in Rohit Sharma’s laundry this time. He cleaned them up properly and the Indian team shone. We haven’t lost even one game and have reached the final. England were shown the road home,” he said. “England won the toss and opted to bowl first and I was elated that they had done a great job because I felt if the Indian team reached 130-140, they would win, and if they reached 155, it would be 15-20 runs extra, and India reached 171. Then they defeated the opposing team by such a huge margin. Who started it – Rohit Sharma.”
“Just think about it, the first match against Ireland, he scored a fifty there as well. Then the last match against Australia, he scored 92 runs there, how well he hit. If he hadn’t scored those many runs, we couldn’t have beaten Australia, although it wouldn’t have mattered to us as we would have finished No. 1 but we might have faced Australia in the final. Here he sent England home,” he further added.
However, Aakash Chopra added that India were in a spot of bother against England as Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant got out very cheaply. He also opined that the Indian captain should have been chosen the Player of the Match ahead of Axar Patel.
“He got half a chance, Phil Salt couldn’t take a catch, but the way he batted, whether it was against spin or fast bowling, aerial firing or cricketing shots, it’s certain that until Rohit is there, run-scoring progresses fast and the opposing team becomes defensive. In my opinion, the Man of the Match performance actually came from him. I would have given it to him, but it’s okay – Axar Patel, everything is good for Bapu as well. Rohit Sharma has walked the talk. When the captain starts walking the talk, the team suddenly starts following,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
