"That was a turning point in Rohit Sharma's captaincy" - Dinesh Karthik reveals Indian captains nightmare
Published - 27 Jun 2024, 03:27 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:14 AM
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik said that the loss against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final was a turning point in Rohit Sharma's captaincy. Dinesh Karthik stated that Rohit Sharma decided to adopt a more aggressive batting approach in white-ball cricket after the loss to England.
Rohit Sharma struggled in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final against England at the Adelaide Oval. The opening batter scored 27 runs off 28 deliveries, including four boundaries, before being dismissed by Chris Jordan in the ninth over. The Men in Blue managed a below-par total of 168/6 in their 20 overs.
The England team successfully chased down the target in 16 overs without losing any wickets. The Jos Buttler-led team then defeated Pakistan in the final match to secure their second consecutive T20 World Cup. Jos Buttler scored 80 runs off 49 balls, while Alex Hales added 86 runs off 47 deliveries in the run chase.
That Was The Game Against England - Dinesh Karthik
In a video shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Instagram, Dinesh Karthik said that Rohit Sharma realized their score was below par and decided the team needed to adopt a more aggressive batting approach.
"That was a turning point in Rohit Sharma's captaincy. That was the game against England; he felt we scored below par, and that's when he decided this is not the way to play. We need to play a lot more aggressively, and from then on, there's been a very conscious effort to bat differently," Dinesh Karthik said.
Very Difficult To Bowl To - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik praised Buttler for his batting prowess, highlighting his ability to dominate after settling at the crease. The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Buttler is challenging to bowl to and set fields for, describing him as one of the top white-ball players globally.
"If he (Jos Buttler) gets going, we are talking about the first ten balls. If he crosses that mark, he is someone who can play to any part of the field, and players like that are very difficult to bowl to, very difficult to set fields to, and that's what makes him really special.
"Add to that the fact that because he's the captain, he takes more responsibility and can win a match on his own, which he's done plenty of times. Arguably, that makes him one of the better white-ball players going around in world cricket," Karthik added.
The Rohit Sharma-led team will face the Jos Buttler-led side in the semifinal match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The Men in Blue are unbeaten so far in the T20 tournament. They defeated Australia by 24 runs in their last Super Eight match to secure a spot in the semifinals of the marquee tournament.
England confirmed their semifinal spot by defeating the United States of America (USA) by 10 wickets in the last Super 8 match. Jos Buttler scored an unbeaten 83 runs off 38 balls, including 6 boundaries and seven sixes, as England chased down the 116-run target with more than 10 overs to spare.
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