NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Aaron Finch heaped praise on India skipper Rohit Sharma, saying his aggressive approach changed the bowler’s mindset before the game has even started.
Rohit scored a half-century in India’s 160-run win against the Netherlands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in their last league stage match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
During his 61 off 54 knock, the Indian skipper set the new record for most sixes in ODIs in a calendar year by launching a colossal 92-metre six over long-on off Colin Ackermann, marking his 59th maximum of the year and surpassing the record set by former South African captain AB de Villiers in 2015.
Speaking to Star Sports, former Finch spoke on Rohit’s aggressive approach in the powerplay, he said, “The thought process behind Rohit is he’s trying to get the team off to a quick start. You see, the wicket tends to get slower as the tournament has gone on. So, that initial powerplay to put pressure on the opposition is really crucial.
Additionally, Rohit achieved the distinction of being the captain with the most sixes in a single World Cup edition. Surpassing former England captain Eoin Morgan’s record of 22 maximums in the 2019 edition, Rohit secured this feat with his 23rd six in the 2023 World Cup.
“I think what that’s done is it’s changed the bowler’s mindset before the game has even started, knowing that Rohit’s going to come really hard at them. They start panicking a bit and maybe go into a defensive mode early on, and that plays into his hands as India has gotten off to some brilliant starts,” he said.
The Indian skipper also matched Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most instances of scoring 500+ runs in World Cup editions. Both Rohit (2019 & 2023) and Tendulkar (1996 & 2003) scored over 500 runs in two editions. Rohit has scored 503 runs in nine matches and has become the only player to score over 500 runs in successive ODI World Cups. (IANS)
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