Tag: Rohit Sharma

GROS ISLET: Rohit Sharma’s swashbuckling 92, followed by a combined bowling effort led India to beat Australia and qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals here at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Chasing a daunting 206-run total, Australia could accumulate 181/7 in their quota of 20 overs despite Travis Head’s half-century.

Australia had a shaky start to the pursuit as they lost David Warner (6) in the first over with just six runs on the board.

Following the early hiccup, Mitchell Marsh joined forces with Travis Head and the duo launched a counterattack.

They raised 81 runs in just 41 deliveries before Marsh fell victim to Kuldeep Yadav as Axar Patel took a blinder just inside the square leg boundary.

Marsh made important contribution for Australia with a 28-ball 37 which included three fours and two sixes.

Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell then put together a quick partnership for the third wicket, adding 41 runs to the total until Kuldeep castled the latter on the first delivery of the 14th over.

Maxwell made 20 in 12 balls, laced up with two fours and a six.

Australia then lost another wicket, exactly an over later, when Marcus Stoinis (2) fell prey to Axar Patel while attempting to play a reverse sweep.

The 2021 champions suffered a massive setback to their run-chase when their mainstay Head was outclassed by Jasprit Bumrah’s slower delivery in the 17th over with 56 still required.

Head remained the top-scorer for Australia with 76 off 43 deliveries, hitting nine fours and four sixes.

His dismissal halted the flow of runs for Australia and they lost two more wickets in the next over, allowing India to seize control.

Australia eventually succumbed to a 24-run defeat which dented their semi-final hopes.

Arshdeep Singh led the bowling charge for India with three wickets, followed by Kuldeep with two while Bumrah and Axar chipped in with a wicket apiece.

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Put into bat first, India registered 205/5 on the board, courtesy of Rohit Sharma’s baton charge.

Rohit, unfazed by his opening partner Virat Kohi’s early demise, dominated the Australian bowlers from the word go.

India had a contrasting start to their innings as they lost Virat Kohli (0) in the second over with just six runs on the board.

Meanwhile, Rohit, unfazed by his opening partner’s dismissal, denied Australia to attain momentum and smashed Mitchell Starc for 29 runs in the third over.

He continued to dominate the Australian bowlers in a one-sided second-wicket partnership with Rishabh Pant (15), which yielded 87 runs off just 38 deliveries.

Rohit was then involved in yet another notable partnership for India when he added 45 runs for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav before Starc finally got rid of him in the 12th over to provide Australia a much-needed breakthrough.

He remained the top-scorer for India with a 41-ball 92, peppered with seven fours and eight sixes.

Yadav and Shivam Dube then knitted a brisk 32-run partnership to keep India on the track.

The top-ranked T20I batter walked back in the 15th over after scoring a blistering 31 off 16 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Dube was then joined by Hardik Pandya in the middle and together they raised 35 runs for the fifth wicket until the former perished in the penultimate over after scoring 28 off 22.

Pandya bolstered India’s total in the death overs against Australia with 27 not out. His 17-ball cameo featured one four and two sixes.

Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc bagged two wickets each for Australia while Josh Hazlewood picked one.

The 24-run victory propelled India into the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals as they topped Group 1 of the Super Eights stage with six points in three matches while Australia remained second with two points in as many matches.

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NEW YORK: India’s captain Rohit Sharma was unfazed by Pakistan’s upset defeat against the United States of America (USA) ahead of the blockbuster T20 World Cup 2024 clash between arch-rivals, scheduled on June 9.

Rohit while speaking at the pre-match press conference here on Saturday, expressed his belief that Pakistan can make a turnaround in the ongoing tournament, stating that the Green Shirts played the final of the previous edition despite losing to Zimbabwe.

“This is the special nature of T20 cricket – anything can happen. Even in the last T20 World Cup, Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe, but it was eventually Pakistan in the final as well,” stated Rohit.

“If the opposition lost the last match, that doesn’t mean they will lose again or play badly. will surely have analysed their mistakes,” he added.

The Indian captain then denied the claims of having an advantage of knowing the conditions better than their opposition, considering the fact that India have played two matches – a warm-up against Bangladesh and their campaign opener against Ireland – at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

“In New York, the conditions and opportunities will be the same for both teams. We have been here for just six or seven days; this is not our home ground,” Rohit said.

“The team that plays well will win; it doesn’t matter who arrived in New York first. We don’t know what the wicket will be like,” he added.

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Rohit Sharma further reiterated the need for the players to play to their full potential.

“No matter the pitch or the opponent, we have to play our best cricket. We have discussed the game plan for the match against Pakistan and we will play according to the situation.

“The team is full of experienced players, and we expect the best from them. We cannot rely on just one or two players; all eleven have to play their part.”

For the unversed, Pakistan and India will lock horns for the eighth time in a T20 World Cup.

Out of seven matches played thus far between the arch-rivals, India emerged victorious six times while Pakistan tasted triumph only once.

The two teams boast contrasting momentums as India eased past Ireland by eight wickets in the campaign opener while Pakistan succumbed to a humiliating defeat against the USA.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub.

India squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

READ: Babar Azam highlights shortcomings after USA upset Pakistan

India captain Rohit Sharma said on Tuesday that he had unsuccessfully tried to convince Rahul Dravid to stay on as head coach, hailing him as “a big role model.”

Dravid said ahead of India’s opening match at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland in New York on Wednesday that the tournament would be his last act as the head coach.

Dravid’s contract runs out at the end of the month and he will not reapply for the job, after almost three years in charge.

“I’ve enjoyed every bit of it, working with him,” Rohit, who has played under and with Dravid for India, told reporters on the eve of the Ireland game.

He added: “I tried convincing him to stay, but obviously there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well.

“I’ve personally enjoyed my time with him. I’m sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It’s been great working with him.”

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India have failed to win a global trophy under Dravid but Rohit was nevertheless full of praise for the 51-year-old former national skipper.

“Such a big role model for all of us,” Rohit Sharma said. “Growing up we watched him play and we know what he’s achieved personally as a player and what he’s done for the team over the years.”

He added: “He’s shown a lot of great determination throughout his career, and that’s something that when he came here as a coach, I wanted to learn from him. It’s been very fruitful.”

Rahul Dravid took over the team from Ravi Shastri after the 2021 T20 World Cup.

This year’s edition in the United States and West Indies is his last chance to end India’s search for major international silverware that stretches back to 2013.

Dravid oversaw runs to the finals of both the World Test Championship and their home 50-over World Cup last year, but they came up short against Australia each time.

READ: T20 World Cup 2024: Imad Wasim ruled out of Pakistan-USA match

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has reacted to Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s statement regarding the resumption of bilateral Test series between the arch-rivals.

Rohit Sharma recently commented on the potency of the Test series with Pakistan during an appearance on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, saying that he would ‘love’ to play against the arch-rivals on a regular basis.

His statement was welcomed by Afridi, stating that bilateral series between Pakistan and India can play a significant role in the relationship between the neighbouring countries.

“Great reply. The series needs to be scheduled. An encouraging word from the Indian captain,” Afridi said while talking to a local channel.

“It is also the case that he represents India. As we have always stated, sports, particularly cricket, have had a significant influence on the relationship between Pakistan and India.

“In the past, we toured India to play cricket. These activities build relationships, and it is the right of neighbours to get along.”

The Indian captain regarded the Pakistan bowling attack as a formidable force in world cricket while responding to a question in the Club Prairie Fire podcast, co-hosted by former England captain Michael Vaughan and former Australian prolific opener Adam Gilchrist.

He said that it would be a good contest if the two teams faced each other at a neutral venue.

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“Do you think Test between Pakistan and India could benefit the longest format of the game hugely and it would be fantastic for Test cricket?” asked Michael Vaughan.

Rohit Sharma did not hesitate to answer and said, “I totally believe that, they (Pakistan) are a good team. They have got superb bowling line-up. I think I will be a good contest especially if you play in overseas conditions, it will be awesome,”

He said that Pakistan and India last played Test cricket against each other way back in 2007.

“I would love to,” Rohit Sharma replied when asked by Michael Vaughan if he would like to play the Test series against Pakistan regularly.

“At the end of the day, we want to be in contest and I think it will be a great contest between the two sides. We anyway play them in ICC trophies, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s just pure cricket that I’m looking at.

“I’m not interested in anything else. It’s pure cricket game between bat and ball. It’ll be a great contest, so why not.”

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan and India have not played a Test since 2007/08 and a bilateral series in any format since 2012/13 due to the long-standing political tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

The fierce rivals, however, only came face to face in multi-national events like Asia Cup and ICC World Cups.

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India captain Rohit Sharma commented on the potency of the Test series with Pakistan, saying that he would ‘love’ to play against the arch-rivals on a regular basis.

In a chat with Club Prairie Fire podcast, co-hosted by former England captain Michael Vaughan and former Australian prolific opener Adam Gilchrist, the Indian captain regarded the Pakistan bowling attack as formidable.

He said that it would be a good contest if the two teams faced each other at a neutral venue.

“Do you think Test between Pakistan and India could benefit the longest format of the game hugely and it would be fantastic for Test cricket?” asked Michael Vaughan.

Rohit Sharma did not hesitate to answer and said, “I totally believe that, they (Pakistan) are a good team. They have got superb bowling line-up. I think I will be a good contest especially if you play in overseas conditions, it will be awesome,”

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He said that Pakistan and India last played Test cricket against each other way back in 2007.

“I would love to,” Rohit Sharma replied when asked by Michael Vaughan if he would like to play the Test series against Pakistan regularly.

“At the end of the day, we want to be in contest and I think it will be a great contest between the two sides. We anyway play them in ICC trophies, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s just pure cricket that I’m looking at.

“I’m not interested in anything else. It’s pure cricket game between bat and ball. It’ll be a great contest, so why not.”

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan and India have not played a Test since 2007/08 and a bilateral series in any format since 2012/13 due to the long-standing political tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

The fierce rivals, however, only came face to face in multi-national events like Asia Cup and ICC World Cups.

READ: Shan Masood wants Pakistan, India to play Test

DHARAMSALA: Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored centuries to bolster India’s lead to 255-run on Day 2 of the final Test of the five-match series against England.

Resuming India’s overnight score of 135/1, Rohit and Gill banked on the opening day’s momentum and dominated England’s bowling attack.

The duo batted at a brisk rate and added a further 140 runs to their second-wicket partnership with both scoring brisk centuries.

England finally had a moment to cherish when their skipper Ben Stokes struck on his first ball since his knee surgery last year to dismiss his Indian counterpart Sharma with a delivery that seamed off the pitch to rattle the batter’s off stump in the second over after lunch.

Rohit Sharma scored 103 off 162 deliveries with the help of 13 boundaries and three sixes.

Experienced pacer James Anderson strengthened England’s comeback in the next over as he got one to nip back in and bowled another centurion Gill to move one shy of becoming the third bowler to take 700 Test wickets, after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and the late Australian great Shane Warne (708).

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Shubman Gill scored 110 off 150 deliveries, smashing 12 boundaries and five sixes.

Following the fall of the long-standing partnership, Sarfaraz Khan and debutant Devdutt Padikkal kept India in control with important half-centuries.

Sarfaraz scored a brisk 56 off 60 while Padikkal made 65 before both fell victim to Shoaib Bashir.

Their dismissals sparked a middle-order collapse as India lost regular wickets to slip to 428/8.

But a stubborn partnership between Kuldeep Yadav (27) and Jasprit Bumrah (19) denied England a chance to sweep off India’s tail.

The duo had added 45 runs to their ninth-wicket partnership and led India to 473/8 when the stumps were called.

Shoaib Bashir was the pick of the bowlers for England, picking up four wickets while Tom Hartley bagged two.

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RAJKOT: Skipper Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries and recovered India to 326/5 at Stumps on Day 1 of the ongoing third Test against England here on Thursday.

Opting to bat first, the hosts found themselves in deep trouble as their top-order batters Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Shubman Gill (0) and Rajat Patidar (5) fell cheaply.

Their back-to-back dismissals had India reeling at 33/3 inside the first overs.

Following the slump, all-rounder Jadeja joined his captain Sharma in the middle and the duo launched an astounding recovery.

Jadeja and Sharma soaked the pressure exerted by the aggressive visitors and kept the scoreboard ticking.

They added a mammoth 204 runs in their exquisite partnership with Sharma bringing up his 11th century soon after the Tea break.

The marathon stand was the hosts’ first century-plus partnership and the highest so far by either India or England in the ongoing five-match series, currently squared at 1-1.

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Rohit Sharma fell in the final session off Mark Wood, falling into the short-ball plan set up by England. He remained the top-scorer for India with 131 which featured 14 boundaries and three sixes.

Following Sharma’s dismissal came India’s emotional debutant Sarfaraz Khan.

The right-handed batter announced himself in style, smashing regular boundaries and pushing England onto the backfoot.

He put together a one-sided 77-run stand with Jadeja, scoring 80 per cent of the runs.

Sarfaraz had an agonizing end to his sensational knock as a mix-up, followed by a direct hit from Wood, resulted in him packing.

He smashed nine boundaries and a six on his way to a 66-ball 62.

Ravindra Jadeja brought up a well-crafted century in the dying minutes of Thursday’s action and celebrated by swinging the bat in his trademark sword dance.

He remained unbeaten on 110 alongside Kuldeep Yadav (1*) and will now resume India’s first innings on Day 2.

Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers for England, picking up three wickets while Hartley made one scalp.

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Rohit Sharma will captain India at the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the United States and West Indies, BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed.

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid will continue as India’s head coach until the conclusion of the mega-event.

“In the 2023 (final) at Ahmedabad, even though we did not win the World Cup after 10 straight wins, we won hearts,” said Jay Shah, at a function to rename the Rajkot stadium late Wednesday.

“I want to promise you that in 2024 in Barbados we will lift the trophy under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy,” he added.

Rohit Sharma will be leading India for the second time in a T20 World Cup as he previously led his side in the last World Cup in 2022.

India crashed out of the semi-final as England registered a thumping ten-wicket victory and then went on to win the final as well.

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Rohit Sharma stayed out of the T20I format since then, before making a comeback in the format during the recent Afghanistan series.

Hardik Pandya led India in T20I during Sharma’s absence, while Suryakumar Yadav took charge in the T20I series against Australia after the 50-over World Cup 2023.

Notably, Rohit Sharma led India to the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 at home where they lost against Australia, extending India’s trophy drought.

The last global tournament team India won was in 2013 when they clinched the Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni.

Meanwhile, Rajkot Stadium was renamed the Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium, in honour of a former BCCI secretary, ahead of the third Test against England starting Thursday.

It was previously called the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) named three different captains for their eight-match multi-format tour of South Africa next month.

Rohit Sharma will lead Team India in two Test matches, Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead in the T20s and KL Rahul will lead the ODI team against South Africa.

The tour, which opens on December 10 with a T20 in Durban and is set to run until January 7, includes three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

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The BCCI said Rohit and Virat Kohli had asked for a break from the white-ball leg of the tour.

But it said that Mohammed Shami was undergoing medical treatment and his availability was subject to fitness.

India Test squad

Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna

India T20I squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar

India ODI squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar

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Former Indian opening batter Gautam Gambhir has backed Rohit Sharma to lead Team India in the T20 World Cup 2024, co-hosted by the United States of America and West Indies in June next year.

Rohit Sharma led India during the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023, where he scored 597 runs at an average of 54.27 and ended as the second-leading run-scorer only behind fellow-batter Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli scored 765 runs during the mega-event, setting the record for most runs in a single edition of the World Cup, a record previously held by Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were instrumental to India’s dominant performance during the ICC World Cup 2023, where they remained undefeated until the final, losing to champions Australia.

Gambhir stressed the inclusion of both star batters in India’s squad for next year’s T20 World Cup, with Sharma leading the side.

“They (Rohit and Kohli) both need to get picked, both should be picked and more importantly, I want to see Rohit Sharma as captain in the T20 World Cup,” Gambhir said during an interview with an Indian news outlet.

Notably, both batters have not featured in any T20I game for India since their 10-wicket loss against England in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals.

Since then Hardik Pandya has led India in the T20I cricket, while Suryakumar Yadav has taken the responsibility in the ongoing T20I series against Australia with Pandya out with an injury.

Gambhir appreciated Pandya as captain but suggested Rohit Sharma should be leading the Indian side in the T20 World Cup.

“Yes, Hardik has been captaining in T20Is but I still want to see Rohit as captain in the World Cup. Don’t pick Rohit Sharma just as a batter. Rohit is a phenomenal leader and has proved that with his batting in this ODI World Cup,” he added.

Rohit Sharma has led India in 51 T20I matches, guiding them to victory in 39 matches.

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