The 2024 T20 World Cup has delivered another shock as Afghanistan knocked out defending champions Australia with a historic win against Bangladesh in the final Super Eight fixture in Kingstown. Despite setting a modest target of 115/5, Afghanistan's spirited bowling led to a narrow eight-run DLS victory, eliminating Australia from the tournament. This result offers relief to India, who have often struggled against Australia in World Cup knockouts, including the 2003 ODI World Cup final and the 2023 final. India has managed key victories against Australia in past T20 World Cups, and this development eases the lingering pain of their recent World Cup final defeat.
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#T20WorldCup #RohitSharma #IndiaVsAustralia #CricketVictory #SemiFinals #IndiaVsEngland #CricketFans #Rohit92 #IndianCricket #CricketWorldCup #CricketHighlights #T20Cricket #WorldCupSemis #TeamIndia #CricketFever
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, everyone. You're watching Pitch Battle. I'm your host, Indranil.
00:07What can I say? I mean, a few days ago, there were talks about how Rohit Sharma won't be playing T20 cricket.
00:15I was party to it. And he might not play the white-ball cricket at all.
00:20He might just focus on Test cricket and IPL. That was a rumour coming from Mumbai.
00:26I don't know how much of it is true. But the way he played against Australia in the Super 8 game.
00:31Last league match of the Super 8. I'm at loss of words, to be very honest.
00:37I expected Rohit to be there like that. Of course, he has those stroke-making abilities.
00:43The way he manoeuvred. The wind blowing in that stadium in St. Lucia. It was absolutely perfect.
00:51I mean, the way he used that piece of initial strike. That one over where he scored those 29-odd runs.
00:58That made a lot of difference. That was what Rohit Sharma, we have always associated with.
01:06He has been around for such a long time. And he is truly special.
01:10And to take that discussion forward, we are joined by, of course, Avinash and Shakya.
01:19Gentlemen, welcome. It's getting very interesting.
01:22Thank you.
01:22Was it a 29-run over? Was it 29, if I am not mistaken?
01:29Avinash, pleasantly surprised. Rohit's performance yesterday, I can assure you, Virat Kohli was pleasantly surprised.
01:41But you know, the basic difference between these two cricketers, when Rohit gets a 50-plus score, he doesn't bother about 100.
01:51But when Virat gets a 50-plus score, he ensures he gets a 100. That's the basic difference. Your thoughts on that?
01:58It was a fine knock. And a long-time coming kind of a performance from Rohit Sharma.
02:05We were all expecting him to go all guns blazing against Bangladesh and Afghanistan as well.
02:11In the previous Super 8 games. But that didn't come.
02:17Hopefully, it came at a very crucial time. Team India had to win this game and send a statement before they travel to Guyana for the semi-finals against England.
02:31But it was a complete batting performance from Rohit Sharma, at least.
02:37Virat Kohli, again, getting dismissed for a duck. 5-ball duck. And we have seen him getting dismissed for not a couple of times in this tournament already.
02:48That doesn't augur well for a player of Virat Kohli's calibre, stature. And even his fans must be disappointed.
02:54Because we all know, and the entire world knows…
02:58I am sorry to interrupt you. I don't mind Virat Kohli scoring nothing, as long as the team is winning.
03:05Yeah, of course. But just imagine if he is two of your biggest…
03:11Yeah, no player would mind if he is not scoring any runs or unable to contribute with the bat and the team still manages to win.
03:22But going into the big match, because the history that we have had against England in the last edition that we saw…
03:31We were sailing through the tournament and when we entered in the semi-finals, the hopes were high that we will be able to defeat the English side, which has been going through a roll.
03:47But that didn't happen. The batters didn't perform to the expectations. At least, they should have added some extra runs.
03:56And also, the bowling fizzled out at the business end of the tournament when it mattered the most.
04:03Hopefully, it doesn't happen in the upcoming game. But definitely, Rohit Sharma coming to form, scoring runs, getting some runs under his belt is a good sign.
04:12And the way he decimated Aussie bowlers was one of the highlights for me.
04:19Because you never see a Rohit Sharma who generally struggles against left-arm pacers and he is going all guns blazing against Mitchell Stark.
04:29And let's not forget that Mitchell Stark has been his nemesis and left-arm pacers have been his nemesis.
04:35And eventually, he succumbed to a delivery from Mitchell Stark at the end of the day when he was batting on 92.
04:43So, definitely, a lot of positives for Rohit Sharma, the batter. Rohit Sharma, the captain.
04:49But we would love to see Rohit Sharma, the opener, batter, again do something similar in the upcoming matches.
04:57If India wishes to win the tournament, Rohit Sharma will have to play a key role.
05:02Well, it was a league match, wasn't it? I mean, we want to see them doing the same when you bring a knockout game.
05:11But Rohit actually adopted a different technique because he was getting most of his deliveries on the pads.
05:18Yesterday, we saw he opened his leg. He moved his left leg away from the line of the ball.
05:27Because what happened is, to scramp him for style, for hitting the ball on the onside, he used to bowl to his body.
05:35And Rohit did a very clever thing. He took his left leg away from the line of the ball so that he can whack the ball.
05:42And that six, one of the last… I mean, it was probably the last six of Mitchell Stark which he hit on the mid-on boundary.
05:51That was a sign that Rohit actually adjusted quite well. I mean, all of a sudden, towards the fag end of his T20 career,
06:01he is able to hit the ball, hurl towards his body. There has to be something different he has done.
06:07And that was it. He opened his stance a little bit which was an amazing thing.
06:12And we also have a Rohit Sharma fan in Shakya who has been… When Rohit does well, he is right on cloud nine.
06:22Yesterday was no different. Shakya?
06:25Yeah, yeah. I mean, I have followed Rohit's career from the time he first played for India.
06:31I have been a huge fan of Rohit also.
06:34Even I have followed also.
06:36Yesterday's innings was very, very special. It was special. I mean, one of the best innings that he has played in his whole career.
06:47And he is a captain. He led from the front. He made a stand.
06:52Also, yesterday, India was obviously aware of certain permutations and combinations which come into play.
06:59Because if Australia chase the target down in 15.3 overs, they would have gone ahead of India's NRR.
07:10If it was 200 or if it was 180 or 160, that would have been the case.
07:18So, India, obviously, the higher the score is, the more you eliminate that risk from taking place.
07:26And it was very clear from ball one, Rohit was making his intent clear.
07:32And it was very important to make that intent clear.
07:35And excellent innings. I mean, some of the shots he played yesterday were absolutely glorious.
07:40That slow sweep. Offense which over long on. What a glorious shot.
07:47I mean, I can't think of too many better shots I have seen an Indian batter play.
07:52And the way he got Adam, one of the world's best leg-spinners and someone who has dismissed Rohit quite frequently.
08:02So, absolutely wonderful display by Rohit yesterday.
08:06It's alright if he missed his 100.
08:08Because he set a good example. It was also important for India to finish first.
08:13Because there is a chance that the semi-final at Guyana, there is a huge rain threat that looms over that semi-final at Guyana.
08:23And the weather forecast says 80% rain as of now.
08:27So, we can't, India will have to prepare. There is no reserve day for that match.
08:33So, it was very important that India topped the group as well.
08:36As for Mitchell Stark, I am not taking anything away from Rohit's performance.
08:43We will come to that. I mean, I want to know about Rohit only.
08:48Continue our discussion on Rohit Sharma. Really, he is mesmerized.
08:51It was absolutely breathtaking, to be very honest.
08:54Avinash, can Rohit play a knock like this in a knockout game?
09:01That's a million-dollar question, Dada.
09:06Everybody expects him to play.
09:08Because we have seen him do something.
09:12Rohit Sharma is one of the greatest white ball players of this generation.
09:20But in a knockout match, in a crunch match, when the tournament is on the line, we have not seen Rohit Sharma do that.
09:30If you are leading by example, you wish to leave a lasting memory and a legacy in world cricket, not just in Indian cricket,
09:40you will have to play a career-defining knock.
09:43I mean, he has played a lot of career-defining knock.
09:46But the knock that he might love to be related to should actually come in a knockout match or in a game when you are playing a semi-final or a final.
09:57Because MS Dhoni is remembered for his 97 against Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup.
10:02Gautam Gambhir is remembered for his 91 runs.
10:05Yuvraj Singh is remembered for his 6 sixes.
10:08And obviously, his entire contribution in the 2011 and the 2007.
10:13Well, Shakya, I want to go back to you.
10:17About Rohit Sharma, the way things are looking, I mean, the way he batted.
10:24In fact, the rest of the teammates looked so ordinary.
10:28Even Rishabh Pant looked so ordinary.
10:30Surya, I mean, whosoever came and played, Rohit really raised the bar so high.
10:35That was something spectacular.
10:38I have not seen Rohit being like…
10:44If his T20 form has to be considered in last 3-4 years, he has not been so powerful the way he showed yesterday.
10:51So, do you think this knock may have revived his white-ball fortunes a little bit?
10:57White-ball, yes.
11:01But I think it's time.
11:04This should be the end of his…
11:08I hope he doesn't play any T20 cricket beyond this.
11:12Because there are very good players lying in wait.
11:16But white-ball, yes.
11:18White-ball, of course, I think he can carry on playing ODI cricket.
11:22Though I am told that there is a Diktat.
11:25There is not a Diktat.
11:27There is one of the suggestions which Gautam Gambhir put out in his proposal.
11:34Is that if India does not win the 2025 Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the senior players.
11:43He didn't take their name.
11:44But the senior players may not be playing beyond that.
11:47If India does win the Champions Trophy, why can't Rohit and Virat be considered for ODI cricket?
11:57I feel ODI cricket needs a little bit more skill to come to T20.
12:06And T20, there are many, many contenders.
12:10So, I would say that, I think Rohit should step away from T20 cricket regardless of the outcome of this World Cup.
12:22I mean, that's what I am looking at.
12:25I was looking for an answer like that.
12:26But without being disrespectful to what Rohit has done to Indian cricket and he has been around for such a long time.
12:34Who would forget his 2007 final knock, which was quite impressive.
12:38I thought, and the way he has taken everything on his stride.
12:42The way he was not picked in the 2011 World Cup.
12:46The way he came back.
12:47Everything is just a fairy tale, in my opinion.
12:51And the way he has become the captain.
12:53And he is enjoying that hot seat.
12:55I mean, I wonder what his franchise would be thinking after seeing the way Rohit played.
13:04You know, this is what cricket is.
13:06You can't actually never undermine a cricketer.
13:09That's the best way.
13:10You can be critical of his ability to score consistently.
13:15But you can't just rule out any cricketer.
13:17The difference is very negligible.
13:20So, when you talk about a cricketer.
13:23When you talk about the franchisee cricket.
13:25And when you see them actually playing for the country.
13:27I mean, look at the...
13:29I mean, Hardik Pandya is a perfect case.
13:31I mean, look where he was during IPL.
13:33And look where he is.
13:35When he is doing the job for the country.
13:38When he sees that tricolour.
13:40His entire thinking changes.
13:45He is a different kettle of fish.
13:47Shakya, your thoughts on how you should never judge a book by its cover.
13:52You should see what is inside.
13:56No, absolutely.
13:57And like, you know, if you look at it.
14:02Rohit Sharma has himself advocated that IPL should not be the yardstick.
14:10But still, I mean, there were a lot of conversations.
14:16And why is Rohit playing?
14:17And even in this World Cup, they are saying Rohit should step down and let Jaiswal come in.
14:21There were many players who were doing quite well in the IPL as well.
14:25But I think Rohit has proved his doubters wrong.
14:28But yesterday was a spectacular innings.
14:30I mean, yesterday was something just completely out of the blue.
14:35I mean, I didn't expect this to come from Rohit.
14:38I mean, just the kind of shots he played.
14:40The shots he played.
14:41The way those sixes he hit over the slog sweep.
14:47The pull shot that he hit over deep-mid wicket.
14:52Some of the shots were really of the highest quality.
14:55I mean, that's all I can say.
14:58I mean, this is terrific, whatever I saw.
15:04But I mean, he expected Australia to be a little more, you know, I mean, judicious.
15:12I mean, as far as the way I was watching the match.
15:16And the way I thought it should be.
15:18As long as the head was there on the crease.
15:20They were still in with a chance.
15:21But somehow, the head has got like a definite love affair going with the Indian bowlers.
15:29He loves feasting on Indian bowlers.
15:34That 163-137.
15:37And again, yesterday, almost with the match away from the Indian.
15:40And I'm just praying that they are not back in the, let's say, final slot again.
15:47Or we're meeting Australia in the final.
15:50I hope.
15:51And in fact, the captain, the Australian captain made it very clear.
15:56That go Bangladesh, go for it.
15:59So, if Bangladesh would beat, I think, 60-odd runs, they can even qualify.
16:05So, the group is quite open.
16:08The last match is going to decide everything.
16:12Yeah, just to, sorry, Afghanistan has beaten Bangladesh and qualified for the semi-finals.
16:19But coming to your point about Australia,
16:28there was some criticism about why Mitchell Stark did not play the last match.
16:34And they played a second spinner.
16:38Because, you know, Mitchell Stark is a match winner.
16:42As is Pat Cummins.
16:43Josh Hazelwood is a good bowler.
16:45But Josh Hazelwood will never blow an opposition apart like, say, a Mitchell Stark would.
16:50And even yesterday, Josh Hazelwood was their best bowler.
16:54But, you know, yesterday, I thought Mitchell Stark was not a 100%.
16:59I mean, I'm not taking anything away from Brij Sharma's innings.
17:02But he didn't seem to be at full credit yesterday.
17:08But again, then again, Australia took that gamble.
17:12Mitchell Stark at 70-80% is still better than someone else at 100%.
17:19And they took that gamble.
17:20It didn't work.
17:22And 100-200 plus was a big score in India.
17:28Bouldwell, especially.
17:34One big difference between this surface and the one that we took on Australia
17:41in the World Cup final was, I guess, the fact that this was a day match
17:46really played to India's advantage.
17:49Because the ball turned when Australia was batting.
17:56Which is something which did not happen in that World Cup final.
18:00Where the first innings and the second innings appeared to be two different surfaces.
18:04A lot of that has happened because of the dew and because it was a day-night match and all that.
18:09But Australia, again, one more point about Australia is, there were...
18:16There'll be questions asked about Australia's accuracy.
18:21Because Patrick Cummins, he was the test captain.
18:25He was the ODI captain.
18:27You know, Australia, they're very demanding.
18:29So, you don't win the titles, you get judged.
18:34So, if Australia did not win the ODI World Cup,
18:37you never know what would have happened to Patrick Cummins.
18:40He may have been dropped from the ODI team.
18:42He may have lost the captaincy.
18:45But he won.
18:46And look at where he went from there.
18:48He not only got that recognition in Australia,
18:52he was also picked for more than 20 crores in the IPL.
18:55And got the captaincy of an IPL franchise over an established captain.
19:01I don't think it was that high of an issue.
19:04Yeah, yeah.
19:07Yeah, yeah.
19:08But, you know, we are...
19:09Avinash is back.
19:10Avinash, where were you?
19:14I got a call.
19:16You got a call?
19:17Yeah.
19:18The biggest call against this pitch battle, I think.
19:24Yes, and that's why I'm back.
19:26Pitch battle.
19:30Yeah.
19:31No, but you know, at this age, you shouldn't be playing hide-and-seek.
19:35Do you agree?
19:39Yes, and let's hope that the rain also doesn't play hide-and-seek on the...
19:43Yes, I was coming to that.
19:45In the semifinals.
19:45I was coming to that.
19:46Yes, what is this?
19:47Whenever India is playing, there is a rain threat.
19:50We are sick and tired of this.
19:52Yeah, we will blame the ICC for organizing the tournament in such places where the conditions are inclement.
20:01And let's just keep our fingers crossed that the rain threat doesn't come to Team India's
20:10disadvantage this time around.
20:14Yeah, so because there's a big rain threat on that given day in Guyana, so everybody
20:21is keeping their fingers crossed.
20:23The best thing is that Team India has done its part and now it's up to the rain gods
20:28to decide whether it will be a washout or not.
20:33What was in their hands, they ended up doing that.
20:35They finished the Super 8 stage as the best team, the number one team in the group stage.
20:41So that would eventually help them if the match gets washed out and they'll automatically
20:46get a promotion in the finals.
20:49But I don't want that.
20:52I want a good semifinal to happen.
20:55The best team, and it should be Team India, they should qualify for the finals because
21:01you need to have momentum.
21:02It's very important.
21:04And we've seen in the past as well, a lot of gaps, a lot of breaks before a crunch encounter
21:12tends to do you harm more than the good it does.
21:15So if the team is in good shape, the momentum is there, they should be in a better rhythm
21:21to perform in the finals.
21:23Because let's not forget, it's just a day's gap between the two matches.
21:28What happens is, is that when the selectors and the coaches are interviewed by the BCCI
21:36Cricket Advisory Committee, the most common question is, why India is not winning the
21:43ICC event?
21:44And second question is, do you think we are like South Africa?
21:48Just imagine if India-South Africa would play the T20 World Cup final, how will it look?
21:57I mean, it would be a great…
21:59Yeah.
22:00It could be a great sight, for sure.
22:03I mean, two of the teams…
22:06South Africa have been labelled the chokers for quite a long time.
22:10But if you look at the last 10 years or 11 years of ICC cricket history, Indians have
22:16been the biggest chokers because they've eventually fizzled out either in the semi-finals
22:22or in the finals.
22:22So more than two or three occasions, we've seen the Indian team choking in crunch moments
22:30and crunch games.
22:30So both the teams, if they eventually make it to the finals, will definitely…
22:36either of the two will be able to shed the chokers tag, whether it's India or South Africa.
22:43So, I think it will be a battle of equals.
22:46Because so far, these two teams have been unbeaten.
22:50And if they end up winning their respective semi-final matches, then definitely, they
22:55would still be unbeaten.
22:56And the best team of the tournament would be decided in the finals.
22:59So, I am putting my hand for this India and South Africa match in the finals.
23:09So, we are a serious contender.
23:12Shakya, what do you say?
23:15Yeah, we've definitely so far performed better than expected.
23:22And beating Australia is something that was not something that was on the cards before
23:27the tournament.
23:28I mean, it's come as a bonus.
23:30It's going to raise everyone's…
23:32It's going to boost everyone's morale.
23:34And you know, this is the 41st…
23:36Today is the 41st anniversary of our victory in the 1983 World Cup.
23:40And there are a lot of parallels.
23:44Like, even in that World Cup, we had knocked out Australia in the last league match.
23:50And even this time, we have knocked out Australia in the last league match.
23:56We are not…
23:56And we are going to face England in the semi-final.
23:58Now, there's a good chance that match can be a washout, which would send India through.
24:02Let's see if it is a washout.
24:04But as of now, they are talking about 80% rain threat there.
24:07But India has definitely performed well above what was expected of them before this tournament.
24:17How many times have you seen that 1983 movie?
24:21I have seen it three times.
24:25I wonder.
24:26But no, it's like…
24:33It will be quite poetic.
24:36It will be quite poetic if India actually wins this tournament in June.
24:41And what a great achievement that will be.
24:47But you know, we also have newcomers in the semi-final now.
24:50We have Afghanistan in the semi-finals now.
24:52And Afghanistan is like…
24:59Today, there were many chances that they may not go over the line today.
25:05But Afghanistan found a way to win and they wiped the skin of their teeth.
25:10Well, I mean, by about 7 runs, the thing is that there were many occasions when it seemed
25:18that they may not win the match.
25:21So, even Afghanistan, they won't be easy.
25:24They won't be…
25:24This is somewhat like Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup.
25:28This is the side which is God, which is playing with nothing to lose.
25:31So, and with South Africa, who have a habit of choking, you never know.
25:36Maybe it could be Afghanistan also who could reach the final.
25:40So, they are playing really, really well.
25:44All right.
25:45So, I mean, you should pay a visit to Kabul also when you find time, Sharqiyat.
25:50You are loving Afghanistan so much.
25:51But Avinash, how difficult will be England from here on?
25:58Because 2022, I can't forget the loss we had.
26:03And they are all ready for it.
26:05Losing by 10 wickets.
26:08I can't ever imagine that kind of a thing being repeated again.
26:12The best thing for India this time around is that they have Jasprit Bumrah,
26:19who was missing in that tournament.
26:22He has been, hands down, the best bowler of the competition.
26:26We have seen what he did yesterday.
26:28I mean, in the first spell, he went for…
26:30I mean, he was not that economical.
26:32He went for some runs.
26:33He didn't pick up a wicket.
26:35But in the second spell, right after he was introduced,
26:38he got the breakthrough which Team India were looking for.
26:42And that was the turning point of the match.
26:45If he had not got that wicket, Australia were cruising.
26:50So, once again, Jasprit Bumrah proving…
26:53Yeah, he keeps on proving how good a bowler he is.
26:59And why he is such a highly-rated player in the tournament.
27:04And he is definitely going to make a difference.
27:06Let's also not forget the fact that Jasprit Bumrah has also not delivered the way he has
27:12been delivering in the group stages and the round-robin stages in an ICC tournament.
27:19The memories of Jasprit Bumrah playing in an ICC final…
27:23I mean, if we just refresh our memories,
27:26it's the 2017 Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan.
27:29And he bowls that no-ball, overstepping no-ball to Pakar Zaman.
27:34He gets a wicket.
27:35And then Pakar Zaman ends up scoring a century.
27:38And India losing the match by a big margin.
27:43Last year, we saw against Australia, though it was a very different kind of a pitch.
27:49But one of the biggest reasons why we could win that match was our pacers,
27:55especially Mohammed Shammi and Jasprit Bumrah,
27:57were not able to do something what they have been doing throughout the season.
28:04Yes, we got some early breakthroughs.
28:06But you needed some pressure being applied on the Aussies in the middle-overs as well,
28:11which didn't happen in Ahmedabad.
28:14But here, we've seen a team which is doing exceedingly well.
28:18First up in the power plays, wrapping it up very well in the death-overs.
28:23And the middle-overs also, we've seen Kuldeep Yadav doing such a fantastic job
28:29for Team India last evening.
28:31So, Kuldeep Yadav coming to the party,
28:34he's definitely making his presence felt.
28:38And making most of the opportunities that he's getting.
28:42And he, along with Jasprit Bumrah, are going to be key for India against England.
28:48Because we know the English middle-order is so vitriolic.
28:55I mean, and Kuldeep can create the difference.
28:59Avinash, before we wrap up the show, I just wanted to tell you one thing.
29:04Any special puja being organised by BCCI to ensure we don't struggle in the knock-out game?
29:11Yet another knock-out match?
29:14I hope not.
29:18I hope not.
29:21Alright.
29:22Any special puja being organised by BCCI?
29:25Any news?
29:27Yeah, I hope not.
29:28There shouldn't be anything of that sort.
29:33Let's just hope that the team goes there, puts its best foot forward,
29:38ends up winning the match, goes to the finals,
29:41and then, again, leaves all the bitter memories of the past
29:46and creates a fresh memory in this decade.
29:50Because the last decade is long gone.
29:55Alright, alright.
29:57This is what we think.
29:59Deep down inside, we want India to win at any cost.
30:02We've been sort of hungry for an ICC trophy for 11 long years.
30:10And the fact that every time there is a tournament happening,
30:13we have our team playing the semis or the finals at this time,
30:16at least Cricket God would be fair to us.
30:20I mean, they say God has to be fair to the opposition.
30:23And all this while, the opposition has been getting all the advantages.
30:26It's time for us to get some smile at the end of it.
30:31All is well that ends well.
30:32Thanks a lot, Avinash, Shakya, for coming and sharing your thoughts
30:38on a great tournament which is going India's way so far.
30:43And hopefully, we'll finish it on a high like that.
30:47Thanks a lot.
30:48And keep watching Pitch Battle.
30:50See you soon on the next episode.