Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar heaped praise on captain Rohit Sharma for leading the Indian cricket team from the front in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
The Rawalpindi Express said that the ‘Hitman’ brutally hammered Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner during India’s 70-run win over New Zealand in the World Cup 2023 semifinal on November 15.
The right-hander hammered four sixes and four fours to score 47 runs off 29 balls, providing a solid platform for the middle-order at the Wankhede Stadium. After Shubman Gill had retired hurt at 79, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli went on to crack remarkable hundreds against the Black Caps.
Shoaib Akhtar said in a video shared on X: “India brutally hammered New Zealand. Rohit Sharma was like, there’s a problem with Boult and Santner, let me hit them and sort it out. I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t get a hundred.”
He added, “He could have scored multiple centuries in the tournament or a fifty in the semi-finals. But it’s not a big deal. He still can do it [in the finals]. All credit goes to Rohit Sharma as a captain, as a player and as a batter. He begins the show with a blast and flattens the opposition. Maar maar ke bharta nikal deta hai Rohit Sharma (He just nullifies the opposition).”
The former Pakistani pacer also said that Gill could also have scored hundred if was not unwell. He faced cramps and suffered a hamstring pull, requiring him to retire hurt.
He said, “Had Shubman been there, he could have scored a hundred. But he’s back from dengue, the body takes time to recover.”
Akhtar also lauded Kohli for breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record for most ODI hundreds. Kohli notched up hist 50th ODI ton to break his idol Tendulkar’s record at the Wankhede Stadium.
He signed off by saying, “But it all came down to one man – Virat Kohli. It felt so good that he shattered Sachin’s record in front of the master himself; the man who Kohli valued the most and called him his hero. It was a pleasure to see how he gave respect to Tendulkar after getting to his hundred.”
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