Rohit Sharma was teary in the India dressing room vs. England: The revenge of Rohit Sharma is complete, spanning from Adelaide to Guyana. After losing by ten wickets, Rohit and India stormed into the T20 World Cup final, scooping up all ten of their opponents’ wickets. After their hopes of making it to the T20 World Cup final were shattered, Rohit’s emotional breakdown in the dugout will always be remembered. After two years, India finally got their comeuppance, crushing England by 68 runs in a one-sided match to advance to their second World Cup final in as many months.
While Rohit and the boys should celebrate their victory, there is still more work to be done. The last. in two days. While the rest of the squad was in disarray, Rohit remained composed and understood the gravity of the situation. Soon after shaking hands and sharing pleasantries after India defeated England for 103 in their pursuit of 172, Rohit sat alone on the dressing room balcony, lost in thought. Rohit’s teammate Virat Kohli made an effort to make his captain smile, or at least try to cheer him up. It was not to be, though. Seated in that chair, Rohit’s laser-like concentration was already fixed on Saturday’s matchup with South Africa.
“Rohit Sharma’s expression of relief is visible there. occupying that chair. How could he be thinking this? He is already glancing towards Bridgetown, I assure you. What’s in store for the final on Saturday?” In his analysis, former India head coach Ravi Shastri captured the essence of the captain’s disposition brilliantly. Rohit has guided India to three ICC finals in the past year: this one, the 50-overs World Cup in November, and the World Test Championship in June 2023. It is true that everyone stated seven months ago that this is India’s best opportunity to win a World Cup, but what lays ahead in just 36 hours is even better. The two unbeaten teams in the competition should logically advance to the T20 World Cup final. However, India may not find a better chance to put an end to a torturous ten-year wait.
The constancy of Rohit Sharma as captain
India has only lost two of their last 18 World Cup and Championship games under Rohit. The team’s captain has been leading from the front during this time, providing an example for the other players. This is the same individual who decided to alter India’s T20 cricket style. He realised on November 10, 2022, that being hesitant would not be the way to go if India were to be viewed by the opposition as a significant and formidable threat. Thus, the careful and cautious approach was abandoned, and a new template was introduced. Using similar blueprint in the 50-over World Cup, Rohit nearly forced India to win the match. After a few months, Rohit remained the face of this new Indian T20I lineup, and nothing changed.
If you thought his innings of 92 against Australia was excellent, Rohit’s 57 off 39 balls was a notch higher. The ball stayed low, and had absolutely no pace. There were instances when Adil Rashid’s deliveries took an eternity to reach Rohit, and yet, playing a completely contrasting innings than the one in St. Lucia, Rohit read the conditions better than anyone else. With six fours, two sixes and a painfully long interruption caused by rain, the skipper didn’t lose a beat. Aiding him at the other end was Suryakumar Yadav, a giant in T20 cricket, who did his own thing, scoring 47 off 36 balls, but Rohit’s knock was something special. Probably one of the more clutch innings of his career.
