Rohit Sharma starred with the bat in India’s crushing 100-run victory over England in Match 29 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Sunday (October 29).
Asked to bat first, the hosts were in all sorts of trouble at 40/3 on a sluggish surface. Amid the pressure situation, the Indian captain produced a stunning knock of 87 in 101 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes.
Suryakumar Yadav (49) and KL Rahul (39) also chipped in with handy contributions as India posted a respectable 229/9 on the board, which proved to be a bit too much for the England batters to chase.
India’s pace bowling duo of Mohammad Shami (4-22), Jasprit Bumrah (3-32) and the spin twin of Kuldeep Yadav (2-24) and Ravindra Jadeja (1-16) ran through the English batting line-up, bundling them out for a paltry 129 in 34.5 overs.
After the game, Rohit expressed his delight on playing a match-winning knock on a challenging pitch.
“Looking at where we were after the first 10 overs it was really important to create that partnership with KL Rahul. It was a challenging pitch, it got better to bat on as the game progressed, but happy with that win,” Rohit said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award.
Despite the win, the Indian skipper felt they were 20-30 runs short of an ideal total on this Lucknow track.
“I have got experience, it's not only about going out there and playing my shots (got to assess the conditions and situation) as well. It was necessary for me to create that partnership with KL. I still felt we were 20 runs short (at the halfway stage). Batting against the new ball was a bit challenging, the ball got softer and it wasn't easy rotating strike either. Like I said we were 20-30 runs short, but I will take that win any day,” he added.
It was India’s sixth consecutive victory in this World Cup and they have now reclaimed the top position on the 10-team points table.
Rohit said they were challenged by the England team upfront but experienced players stood up to do the job for India.
“This was the game, a lot of character in the squad. All our experienced players stood up at the right time and got the game for us. Looking at how the tournament has gone for us, we had to come and bat here. We were challenged upfront, they bowled pretty well upfront,” Sharma stated.
“To get to a total on a pitch that had something in it, we just wanted to get to a total we could play with. We were not great with the bat. Losing three wickets isn't the ideal situation. Couple of guys threw it, including myself. When you look at the overall picture, we were 30 runs short. It's not something you see every day,” he further remarked.
Rohit Sharma was effusive in praise of his fast bowlers, who rattled the England top-order by taking four wickets in the first powerplay itself.
“When you start your innings, you have to try and get a couple of wickets to put the pressure back on the opposition. You can always rely on our seamers to come good and get those crucial breakthroughs. They exploited the conditions. They put the ball in the right areas.
“We have a good balance (in the bowling), there's a bit of options and with experience as well. It's very important that the batters put runs on the board,” he concluded.
(Cricbuzz Inputs)
