Gros Islet (Saint Lucia): Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front as India produced a splendid show and defeated Australia by 24 runs in their last Super 8 clash of the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup here on Monday and stormed into the semi-finals of the marquee tournament.
India, who are eyeing to win their second T20 World Cup and so far are unbeaten in the tournament, posted a challenging 2025/5 on the board in their 20 overs, after being asked to bat. The Men in Blue then restricted the opposition to 181/7 to register a comfortable win.
For Australia, opener Travis Head top scored with a 43-ball 76 but his effort was not enough to take his side home. India now go to Guyana where they will take on defending champions England in the last four clash.
Rohit Sharma for his splendid show with the willow was adjudged as the Player of the Match. During Australia's chase, two things stood out - Axar Patel's stunner on the boundary ropes to dismiss Mitch Marsh and Kuldeep Yadav cleaning up a dangerous Glenn Maxwell.
The Indian bowlers held their nerves and eventually emerged triumphant. Earlier in the day. Rohit Sharma turned the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground into his personal fireworks display, wielding his bat like a detonator and sending deliveries soaring into the stands with astonishing regularity. His explosive 92 off just 41 balls, studded with seven fours and eight sixes, catapulted India to an imposing total of 205 for 5, leaving Australia with a herculean task to chase under the Caribbean sun.
The innings was a masterclass in controlled aggression, a thrilling exhibition that showcased Sharma's ability to decimate any bowling attack. The 100-run mark was crossed in a mere 8.4 overs, reducing the Australian bowlers to mere spectators as Sharma unleashed his fury. Marsh's decision to bowl first seemed to have backfired spectacularly as the Indian skipper set about dismantling the opposition.
Sharma's blitzkrieg against Mitchell Starc, who was pulverised for 34 runs in his opening over, set the tone for the innings. Sharma's shots came in all shapes and sizes – spanked over cover, clonked over midwicket, steered into extra cover, pulled over backward square leg, heaved through midwicket. Each delivery faced the same fate: dispatched with disdain to the boundary.
The way Sharma dominated the Australian bowlers made descriptors like "quickfire" seem understated. His explosive performance forced cricket writers to dive into their Thesauruses for synonyms of the word "blast."
Virat Kohli's duck and Rishabh Pant's cheap dismissal for 15 were quickly overshadowed by Sharma's pyrotechnics. Surya Kumar Yadav's 31 off 16 balls and Shivam Dube's 28 off 22 were mere supporting acts in Sharma's one-man show. Despite the post-Sharma slowdown, the day belonged to the Indian captain, who monopolised the action in the middle and the commentaries in the boxes, creating an unforgettable spectacle.
The over against Starc was particularly brutal, featuring four sixes, a four, and a wide – 34 runs in total. From six for 1 to 40 for 1 in a single over, Sharma's intent was clear. Pat Cummins' arrival provided no respite, as Sharma promptly dispatched him for a 90-meter six over mid-wicket. A brief five-minute shower offered Australia a momentary reprieve, but it did little to dampen Sharma's onslaught.
Resuming after the rain break, Sharma continued his assault, forming a 63-run partnership in just 31 balls with Rishabh Pant. The sixes flowed as freely as the Caribbean breeze, with Sharma's bat in full conversation with the boundary ropes. Bowlers became irrelevant – Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Starc all suffered the same fate at the hands of the Indian captain.
Sharma's unnoticed 50, composed almost entirely of boundaries, was a testament to his dominance. Forty-six of his 50 runs came in boundaries as he put Australia in a six-fix, Sharma style. Cricket was reduced to a game of six-counting – one more, then another, and yet another. Marcus Stoinis smarted, Hazlewood lost his bearings, Cummins his swagger, and Zampa his ability to turn. India's 114 for 2 came in 10 overs, turning an initial 6 for 1 into a distant memory.
This innings from Sharma was more than just a cricketing performance; it was a statement. It was a reminder of the Hitman's capabilities and a forewarning to any team that crosses paths with India in this tournament. His bat, seemingly infused with dynamite, turned the match into a showcase of relentless power hitting, leaving Australian bowlers searching for answers and Indian fans in St Lucia celebrating a cricketing carnival.
India skipper Rohit Sharma lauded chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, saying the team management is aware of his strengths. "We know the strength he has, but we need to use him when necessary. In New York, there were seamer friendly wickets. He had to miss out but we knew he had a big role to play out here," said Rohit, who completed 200 sixes in T20s.
