The world came to a standstill when India were defending a colossal total of 398 in the first semi-final of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 on Wednesday. The crowd made the loudest cheer for the likes of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer who smashed centuries, taking the team to a challenging total. But it was complete silence at Wankhede when the New Zealand batters – Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell – put an 181 stand for the third wicket. But it was Mohammed Shami who helped the hosts bounce back with a first-ever 7-wicket haul, sending the men in blue into the final.
Multiple players stood up and contributed to India’s memorable win against the Black Caps on Wednesday. But former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that it was skipper Rohit Sharma whose captaincy inspired the team to script history.
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Speaking on Sky Sports after the conclusion of the game, Hussain termed Rohit the ‘genuine hero of the team.
“The headlines tomorrow will be about Kohli, about Shreyas, about Shami. But the genuine hero of this Indian side, the man who has changed the culture, is Rohit Sharma,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
Walking the talkMaintaining peak audacityMy mental, my skipper, my leader❤️ @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/wPK6bmzegu
— Sushanth (@PichaLiteBro) November 15, 2023
The former England captain further mentioned a conversation with veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik who had revealed how the 10-wicket loss to England in the T20 World Cup semis prompted Rohit to make wholesale changes in the team.
“DK [Dinesh Karthik] says we were all there in the semi-final at the Adelaide where they played meek, timid cricket, plauded along the T20 semi-final, got a below-par score and England knocked them off none down – by 10 wickets. He said to DK, we gonna have to change,” Hussain said.
“It’s one thing coming in the group stage, but can you do it again, can you play fearless cricket in a semi-final? Their skipper went out there and showed everyone, showed his dressing room that they’re going to carry on in exactly the same way,” he added.
India will now face either Australia or South Africa on Sunday in Ahmedabad, looking to end the 12-year-long drought of ICC titles.
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