
Former India player and commentator Aakash Chopra has hailed the impact of skipper Rohit Sharma after he led the Indian team to the final of the ODI World Cup. India beat New Zealand by 70 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai which saw him become just the fourth Indian captain to enter the summit clash. Chopra was full of praise for Rohit as India will now face the winner of South Africa and Australia in the second semifinal.
"The discussion was that you should win the toss and bat first, and it happened. A good captain is not one who has a lot of skills, but one who is lucky as well, and Rohit has that luck. Devi (goddess) is kind to him, she has put this World Cup against his name," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Having set a target of 398, New Zealand did not have the best starts and were reduced to 39/2 before skipper Kane Williamson (69) and Daryl Mitchell (134) helped Kiwis back into the game. Both openers, Rachin Ravindra (13) and Devon Conway (13), departed early leaving plenty of work to be done. However, Mitchell and Williamson then built an 181-run partnership for the third wicket before Mohammed Shami came back to haunt the Kiwis as he ended with figures of 57/7.
After Williamson’s departure, New Zealand lost wickets at consistent intervals while Shami enjoyed another stellar outing with the ball. He would help India bowl out the tail as New Zealand were bowled out for 327 in a marathon run chase at the Wankhede Stadium. Glenn Phillips showed little resilience with a 41-run knock, but India won the match by 70 runs. Shami ended with figures of 57/7 while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav ended with one wicket each.
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"In the last World Cup, he gave you a lot of individual fame, you struck five centuries but didn't win the World Cup. You were not part of the World Cup team in 2011 but 2023 is your World Cup, Rohit. You are going to leave behind such a legacy as a captain which the world will remember," he added.
The clash also saw Virat Kohli break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI hundreds who now sits with 50 tons. He also broke Sachin’s record for most runs in a single ODI World Cup edition and now has 711 runs in 10 matches with still a final match to go.
Rohit’s men will now await the winner of South Africa and Australia who meet in the second semifinal on Thursday (Nov 16) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.