Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Rohit Sharma for playing a match-winning knock in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup Super 8 clash against Australia. Rohit smashed 92 runs off 41 deliveries, which helped India set Australia a 206-run target in Saint Lucia on Monday, June 24. The Indian team then restricted Australia to 181/7 to register a 24-run win and book a berth in the semi-final against England in Guyana on June 27.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “We believe in karma, we believe in Sharma. Sharma ji’s son did an incredible job and caused merriment. He hit incomparable sixes. How well the boy plays and he showed that when he plays, only he plays. He gave the Indian team a rocket-like start and showed the path to go beyond 200. The job Rohit Sharma started doing – unbelievable. The 29 runs he hit off a Mitchell Starc over, which included four sixes, the sixes he is hitting over cover – how? When Rohit Sharma plays, he plays differently.”

The veteran was mesmerized by the opener’s stunning batting off Mitchell Starc. Starc gave away 29 runs in his second over after India had lost Virat Kohli’s wicket as well. However, Aakash Chopra said that Rohit Sharma at his best is better than any other batter.

“The best of Rohit Sharma vs the best of anyone in the world, there is a difference. His consistency graph might not be as good as compared to the best in the world right now but when he plays, he plays incredibly well. No one has hit more sixes than him. He has only hit the most sixes against this team,” he said. “He had reached 92 and was on the verge of the fastest hundred. There was a time when the team had scored 41 and he had scored 40. Kohli had gotten out and Rishabh Pant had scored only one, but this guy was playing with a different force. He batted amazingly well and made India capable of progressing,” Chopra again shared.

However, he also praised the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav as well.

“An unbelievable catch. A timely wicket. Economical too. Axar Patel’s contributions don’t get the same sort of attention…but have made the difference in clutch games. Vs Pak. Vs Aus. Well played, Bapu,” he wrote in X. “The Rise and Rise of Kuldeep Yadav. An asset across formats. From having tears in his eyes in an IPL game…warming the bench for most of the season. Dropped from the Indian team in all formats. To a wicket-taker par excellence.”