Gros Islet (St Lucia), June 25: Rohit Sharma fell short of a potentially record-breaking hundred but insists that personal milestones “don’t matter” to him. His aggressive 92-run knock off 41 balls led India to a 24-run victory over Australia in their final Super 8 match of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Monday. Rohit, named player of the match for his remarkable performance which included eight sixes and seven fours, emphasized his focus on maintaining a high batting tempo rather than achieving centuries.
“The fifties and hundreds don’t matter, I wanted to bat with the same tempo and carry on,” Rohit said. “You want to make big scores, yes, but at the same time you want to make the bowlers think where the next shot is coming, and I think I managed to do that today.”
Reflecting on the challenging conditions, particularly the strong breeze affecting play, Rohit highlighted how he adjusted his batting to counter Australia’s strategy. “From the first over, there was a strong breeze blowing across. They changed their plan to bowl against the breeze, so I realized I had to open up the off side as well,” he explained.
Acknowledging the contribution of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed figures of 2/24, Rohit praised his adaptability on different pitches. “Kuldeep has strengths that we know, but you have to use them wisely according to the situation,” he noted.
Looking ahead to the semifinals against England on June 27, Rohit expressed his desire for India to maintain their consistent performance. “We don’t want to do anything different in the knockouts. We want to play the same way, understand what each player needs to do in a given situation, and play freely,” he emphasized.
Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh conceded that India outplayed them on the day. “India were the better team,” Marsh admitted. “We’ve seen for 15 years what Rohit Sharma can do in that kind of mood, and he got off to an absolute flier.”
India’s victory secures their spot in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, maintaining their strong momentum throughout the tournament.
