Rohit Sharma killed the run-chase against Pakistan with the bat, but the foundations of the one-sided victory were laid by his smart tactics on the field, writes Naman Agarwal.
A low full-toss on leg stump was glanced calmly to fine leg for a single. That was how Rohit Sharma’s first ball in the run-chase against Pakistan at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne played out. The two other deliveries he faced in the first over were both half-volleys which he dead-batted. The bowler was Shaheen Afridi.
But on Saturday, a very different scene was on display at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Home World Cup. Bigger crowd. It’s the same opponent. Same bowler. This time the first ball of the run chase was hit hard over square leg and sent over the boundary.
It was a statement of intent from Rohit. A statement that was promised but not delivered during the last T20 World Cup. A statement that suggests reconsideration. Thanks to the performance of his bowlers, Rohit almost completely eliminated any possibility of Pakistan reversing the run chase with just one ball.
He continued with his newfound butcher avatar, hitting one Pakistan bowler after another with a knock of 86 (63). Batsman Rohit delivered the fatal blow. But despite his vicious pull shot and picturesque inside-out, there may have been a more important and impactful aspect to his game today. his leadership.
Rohit Sharma was at his belligerent best with the bat in Ahmedabad
Games of this size often follow predefined templates and lose the pace of the game from a tactical standpoint. However, Rohit was on point with almost every move and read the pulse and situation of the match almost perfectly.
It started with a throw. Given India’s batting style and the form of their batsmen, it would have been an attractive option to score first and let scoreboard pressure (which is reality) dictate the second innings. However, with India fielding, Rohit said during the toss that he does not expect much change on the course: “It’s a good course, it won’t change much and dew could be a big factor. , we want to keep that in mind.” “First we make the bowl.”
My eyebrows rose. People argued that this was a defensive move that could backfire if Pakistan got off to a good start. In fact, they got off to a good start and soon he started thinking about the 2017 Champions Trophy Final. We all know what happened there.
Mohammad Siraj, who bowled the second-costliest ODI of the season in the final match against Afghanistan, appeared to be losing control of the new ball, which is said to be his greatest strength. His first three overs were 22. The pitch wasn’t very good. “What kind of job does he do?” was the general opinion among Indian fans who watched Siraj bowl. The temptation to take his place would have been great. But Rohit held on until the fourth over, believing that he would adapt to the dull conditions. Siraj adapted. On the last ball of the fourth over, a rare cross pass slipped through and hitAbdullah Shafiq head on, giving India their first break.
Hardik Pandya was brought in as the first substitute before Shardul Thakur and also did well picking the wicket of Imam-ul-Haq in the third over. In fact, Thakur bowled just two overs, while Pandya finished bowling six overs. Comparing the level of threat posed by both on the ground in Ahmedabad, it was a fair division of labor between the two.
Normally, India goes to Ravindra Jadeja first when it comes to generating spin. However, Babar Azam’s fight against Kuldeep Yadav is well documented. Kuldeep was brought on right after the first powerplay and Rohit quickly assessed the situation. He quickly replaced Jadeja in the next over as Mohammad Rizwan had already reached the crease by that time. Rizwan, a prolific ball sweeper, would have preferred Kuldeep’s slowness over Jadeja’s darts. And the move worked almost instantly.
Rizwan was LBW to the left while sweeping Jadeja’s second ball of the day. Fortunately for him, a review reversed the decision after tracking the ball revealed it may have missed his leg stump by a few millimeters.
There were several other bowling changes and field placements that Rohit made that had a huge impact on the game. Siraj was recalled for the second time in the 28th over when Jadeja and Kuldeep were milked with relative ease by the Babar-Rizwan duo. As a result, Babar was sent off with 50 points. There was also a method to the madness that resulted from the collapse in which Pakistan lost his 8 wickets for his 36 runs.
When Kuldeep took two wickets in the 32nd over and left Pakistan at 166-5, Rohit was flushed and brought home his trump card Bumrah. It took six balls for him todeliver a magical off-cutter that pierced Mohammad RizwanIn his next over, another beauty was cleaned up by Shadab Khan. After 7 overs and 20 runs, Pakistan were bowled out for 191.
India needed just 30.3 overs to reach their target in the Men’s ODI World Cup and extend their lead over Pakistan to 8-0. Rohit hit six sixes in his knock of 86 with a strike rate of 136.50. Recently in Delhi, he scored 5 goals with a strike rate of 155.95.
India will be very happy with this version of batsman Rohit and the timing of his arrival. As far as his impact on the match is concerned, he has no rival apart from captain Rohit. Unfortunately for Pakistan, today they faced the best of both. If that happens, you won’t make a profit.
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