Not just from Shoaib Akhtar, Indian captain Rohit Sharma earned plaudits from the entire cricket fraternity for his batting masterclass against Babar Azam's Pakistan in the 2023 edition of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Saturday. Continuing his impressive run in the One Day International (ODI) World Cup in India, veteran opener Rohit played a stroke-filled knock to make a mockery of the Shaheen Shah Afridi-starrer bowling attack at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Taking the bowlers to the cleaners, Rohit played a captain's knock as a Jasprit Bumrah-inspired India sealed an impressive seven-wicket win on matchday 12 of the ICC World Cup in Ahmedabad. Pakistan, who were bundled out for 191 in the 50-over contest, lost the high-profile fixture in 30.3 overs as half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Rohit fashioned India's convincing win.
‘Rohit humiliated Pakistan’s bowling attack’
Talking about Pakistan's demoralising defeat to India on his YouTube channel, Akhtar hailed Rohit as a one-man army. “The kind of innings he played, he humiliated Pakistan’s bowling attack. He took revenge for the last two years when he didn’t get many runs. Good to see Rohit Sharma back, he did right to smash the bowlers. What’s the need to finish the game at the last overs and take it deep? Rohit hammered the bowlers,” Akhtar said.
Akhtar had earlier questioned Rohit's form against Pakistan in showpiece events. Responding to his critics in style, Indian skipper Rohit smashed 86 off 63 balls in India's memorable win over the arch-rivals at the largest cricket stadium. Rohit laced his match-winning knock with six fours and six maximums. The 36-year-old smashed multiple records with his 31st ODI century against Afghanistan in the lead-up to the World Cup showdown with Pakistan.
'India completely hammered Pakistan'
{{/usCountry}}Akhtar had earlier questioned Rohit's form against Pakistan in showpiece events. Responding to his critics in style, Indian skipper Rohit smashed 86 off 63 balls in India's memorable win over the arch-rivals at the largest cricket stadium. Rohit laced his match-winning knock with six fours and six maximums. The 36-year-old smashed multiple records with his 31st ODI century against Afghanistan in the lead-up to the World Cup showdown with Pakistan.
'India completely hammered Pakistan'
{{/usCountry}}Under Rohit's leadership, an unbeaten Indian side handed Pakistan its first defeat of the 2023 World Cup. India have also extended its winning streak to 8 matches against Pakistan in ODI World Cups. “Disappointing performance… a very disappointing performance. Today, India completely hammered Pakistan. Rohit Sharma was a one-man army. I don’t know where was Rohit Sharma in the last couple of years. He is a very big player and has a wide range of shots. He is a complete batter, a complete team,” Akhtar added. Hosts India will next meet Bangladesh in match No.17 of the ICC World Cup on Thursday.