Former England captain Nasser Hussain has hailed Rohit Sharma as the ‘genuine hero’ for leading his side to the final of the World Cup 2023 with his aggressive batting.
Rohit batted first in the semi-final against New Zealand on November 15 and got off to a great start with a 29-ball 47 including a four and a six. The skipped innings gave way to Virat Kohli (117 off 113) and Shreyas Iyer (105 off 70), taking India’s score to 397-4 after 50 overs.
India won the match by 70 runs thanks to Mohammed Shami’s seven fours and reached the final despite a robbery threat from Daryl Mitchell (134 off 119).
In an interview with Sky Sports, Hussain praised Rohit for changing India’s style of play for the better. “Tomorrow’s headlines will be about Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami, but the real hero of this Indian team is Rohit Sharma.” He has changed the culture of the team. ”
Rohit has given India a great start in this World Cup. His 550 RBIs to start the tournament gave him an average batting average of 55.5 and an astonishing strike rate of 124. His explosive batting got India by the scruff of the opponent’s neck and almost ruined the match in his first 10 overs.
Hussain spoke about how India’s semi-final loss to England by 10 wickets in the 2022 T20I World Cup led to a change in approach under Rohit. “When England defeated India in the semi-finals by 10 wickets” Dinesh told Kartik that he needed to change his batting template for the ICC T20 World Cup 2023.
“India were timid and performed below average. Rohit was determined to set a good example after the match and he is doing so with his aggressive batting.
“Group stage matches are different, but to get through in the final is special. New Zealand tested them today. Rohit went out and played some attacking cricket. We sent a message to the locker room that we will maintain this attitude.”
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