Rohit Sharma struck a stunning 92 from 41 balls as India beat Australia by 24 runs to clinch a T20 World Cup semi-final against England and leave their opponents in danger of elimination.
Rohit – who hit eight sixes, including his 200th in T20 internationals – raced to fifty off just 19 balls and looked on course for a sixth ton before being bowled by Mitchell Starc, the player he had crunched for four sixes and one four in a 29-run third over in St Lucia.
The skipper’s innings underpinned India’s total of 205-5, a score the 2007 champions would perhaps have hoped to better after being 127-2 in the 11th over with Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 16) at the crease, but they went on to score only 43 runs from the final five.
Travis Head (76 off 43) fired for Australia in the reply, helping his side to 125-2 after 12 overs, but they slumped once Glenn Maxwell (20 off 12) was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav (2-24) at the start of the 14th, with the 2021 champions only mustering 181-7 as India clinched top spot in Group 1 and a Thursday date with England in Guyana (3.30pm).
Australia remain second in the pool but will be dumped out if Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in the final Super 8s fixture in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday (1.30am) while they could also miss out on net run-rate to Bangladesh if the Tigers record a handsome victory and join Australia and Afghanistan on two points.
South Africa await whichever of the three teams progress in the first semi-final in Trinidad (1.30am Thursday), with the Proteas finishing top of Group 2, ahead of England.
Reigning champions England decimated a timid India by eight wickets in the 2022 semi-finals in Adelaide but they will come up against a more aggressive side now – and one unbeaten in this tournament – with captain Rohit leading that shift in mindset.
Rohit racks up runs in India win
After seeing opening partner Virat Kohli (0) caught on the pull off Josh Hazlewood (2-14) in the second over – Kohli is now averaging 11 across six knocks in the tournament with two ducks and a top-score of 37 – Rohit exploded in the third, hitting Starc for sixes over cover, point, midwicket and deep third as well as a four over mid-on.
He then mowed Pat Cummins over midwicket for a 100m six moments before a rain delay and clinched his half-century – the fastest in this World Cup, ahead of the 22-ball efforts from USA’s Aaron Jones and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock – upon the restart.
Rohit tucked into Marcus Stoinis (2-56) as well, with three boundaries in a row in the eighth over including sixes over deep backward square and cover, but his knock was ended when he deflected a Starc yorker onto his stumps in the 12th.
Shivam Dube (28 off 2) hit Starc’s next ball to the fence but India could only manage eight further sixes or fours from that point – Hardik Pandya (27no off 17) nailing two maximums on the trot off Stoinis in the 19th over – with Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins (0-48) and Adam Zampa (0-41) largely restricting their opponents.
Australia lost David Warner – in what is potentially his last game for his country – in the first over of the chase as the veteran opener snicked Arshdeep Singh to Suryakumar at slip for six, only for skipper Mitchell Marsh (37 off 28) and Head to crunch a second-wicket partnership of 81 from 48 balls.
That stand was snapped in stunning style in the ninth over as Axar caught Marsh one-handed on the rope at deep square leg but Australia continued to charge for a while as Head clinched a 24-ball half-century with a four off Hardik and powered three boundaries off Ravindra Jadeja in the 11th.
However, Maxwell was then bowled dancing down the pitch at Kuldeep before Stoinis reverse-swept Axar to point and the innings hit the skids, with the only bright spot for Australia that they kept their net run-rate above Afghanistan’s and held on to second spot – for now.
What’s next?
Afghanistan play Bangladesh in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday (1.30am UK and Ireland), before the semi-finals take place on Thursday. The first game is in Trinidad from 1.30am, with the second in Guyana from 3.30pm.
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