Captain fantastic sets the tone and shows India the way to T20 World Cup glory

By Tom Bennett

AUSTRALIA VS INDIA: MATCH CENTRE AND SCORECARD

The India captain’s 92 from 41 balls saw him dominate one of the best attacks at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to set his team up with a controlling position inside the first powerplay of this fascinating Super Eight face-off.

This was more than just a good innings; it was the sort of batting display that breaks spirits. And it looked at times to have done just that to an Australian team who rarely appear to wilt under pressure on the field.

Rohit’s knock featured eight sixes and set the tone for India to push on, even when he was dismissed short of his century in the 12th over.

“It felt like a dream, he batted beautifully,” said a beaming Suryakumar Yadav during the innings break, having spent the last part of Rohit’s innings out in the middle with him.

“Before coming here we sat together, we talked about it, how we want to approach and what brand of cricket we want to play, and he showed us the way.”

World-class performers such as Rohit have a tendency to make genius look straightforward, and his comments following India’s win hinted at some of the strategic thinking that made an innings that had appeared almost effortless in its brilliance possible

"I thought right from over number one that there was a strong breeze blowing across,” Rohit said, of a Gros Islet venue where the weather conditions have played a part all tournament. “They changed their plan, bowling against the breeze, so I realised I had to open up the off-side as well.

“When you keep an open mind and not just think of one shot, you can access all areas of the field,” Rohit continued.

“It was a good wicket, and you want to try and back yourself to play those kinds of shots. I've been trying to do that for a few years now, and I'm glad it came off today.

“You want to make big scores, yes, but at the same time you want to make the bowlers think where the next shot is coming, and I think I managed to do that today."

Some tough batting conditions during the group stage in New York had contributed to Rohit having relatively low returns prior to this innings during the tournament.

But his teammate Arshdeep Singh – who took 3/37 on the day – said that it was little surprise to see the skipper light it up on the big stage.

“Sir, as a team, we always talk in the dressing room that personal scores don't matter much as long as the team is doing nice,” Arshdeep replied to a question during his post-game media conference.

“We knew he is a legend and the big knock was around the corner all the time. So, we were not surprised by the way he played today and it came off really well, and even in the coming games we just hope he does the same for us.”

India’s next “coming game” is against defending champions England in the second semi-final in Guyana on 27 June, with the winner progressing to the final in Barbados two days later.

And Rohit’s tone-setting knock has given India their attacking blueprint for how to win those two matches and go all the way in the Caribbean.