Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah ignored as Sunil Gavaskar backs this player to guide India to victory in semifinals
Published - 26 Jun 2024, 10:38 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:14 AM
Former Indian team captain Sunil Gavaskar picked the player to watch out for in the upcoming semi-final clash between India and England in the T20 World Cup 2024. Sunil Gavaskar ignored key players like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah in his selection for the knockout match.
The Indian team maintained their winning run by defeating the Australian team in their final Super Eight match. The Men in Blue finished at the top of the table in Group 1. The 2007 World Cup champions advanced to the semi-finals alongside the Afghanistan team from Group 1 in the ongoing ICC tournament.
The England team and the South Africa team advanced to the semifinals from Group 2 in the T20 World Cup. India is set to face England in the second semifinal at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The Rohit Sharma-led team will be hoping to reach the final match by defeating England.
This Format Is Exciting - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar has expressed confidence in India captain Rohit Sharma to lead the team to victory in the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Gavaskar picked Rohit as the player to watch out for in the match against defending champions England.
"Very excited. Look, this format is very exciting. Very entertaining. You get to see so many shots that you won't see in the longest format of the game. You get to see so many deliveries that you don't get to see. So it's a very exciting format, and the way the teams have been playing, particularly India against Australia, it was amazing!," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Rohit Sharma scored 92 runs off just 41 deliveries, including seven boundaries and eight sixes, against Australia in India's last Super 8 match. The Indian team posted a formidable total of 205-5 in a crucial match. He earned Player of the Match for guiding his team to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.
They Gonna Go Out And Maximise Their Abilities - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar praised Rohit Sharma for his aggressive approach, especially after losing Virat Kohli early in the powerplay against Australia. The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted Rohit's intent to maximize the team's potential and secure victories.
"Rohit Sharma, leading from the front, hitting those big sixes. Despite losing Kohli in the previous over, it just tells you the intent - the captain of the Indian team has. They gonna go out and try and maximize their abilities and win matches for the team," Gavaskar added.
Rohit Sharma launched an all-out attack on Australian pacers in the powerplay. The right-handed batter smashed left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc for 29 runs in an over, including four sixes and one four. The Men in Blue scored 127 runs in just 11.2 overs before the Indian skipper's dismissal in the match.
The 37-year-old batter set the record for the most sixes hit by an Indian batter in a single T20 World Cup game. Rohit also became the first batter to reach 200 sixes in T20Is.
