Former England skipper and cricket pundit Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his explosive innings in the ICC T20 World Cup match against Australia, describing it as “brutal elegance at its best.”
During India’s final Super Eights match against Australia, Sharma was determined to erase the memories of the 50-over World Cup final loss to Australia last year. He dismantled Australia’s formidable bowling attack, including Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Adam Zampa, with a blistering 41-ball 92, featuring seven fours and eight sixes. Highlights of his innings included taking 29 runs off Starc in the third over, with four sixes, and slog-sweeping Cummins for a massive 100-meter six on the first ball of the fifth over.
Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast, Hussain noted that a significant shift in India’s T20I mentality occurred after their ten-wicket loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final. This new aggressive approach was evident in the 50-over World Cup, where under Rohit’s leadership, India attacked bowling line-ups with unprecedented ferocity, ultimately finishing as runners-up to Australia. However, he mentioned that India struggled to maintain this approach on the challenging pitches at New York’s Nassau County Stadium.
“I think the change in mentality happened after that World T20 semi-final in Adelaide, and it was noticeable in India during the 50-over World Cup and throughout this tournament, especially after moving away from New York,” said Hussain. “They couldn’t quite do it in New York because of the pitches. The pitches were poor, and you couldn’t express yourself. But as their batters gained confidence, they returned to that mentality, completely led by Rohit Sharma.”
Hussain emphasized that Rohit “walked the talk” as captain during the match against Australia, prioritizing the team’s score and strike rate over a potential maiden T20 World Cup century. He admired Rohit’s ability to take on the Australian pacers with such precision and power.
“If you’re going to walk the talk as a captain, he did it before the Australia game. He said, ‘I am not worried about the 50s and 100s; I am worried about the score, the balls faced, the strike rate.’ That was one of the greatest white-ball innings I’ve seen, what he did against Australia. Elegant, absolute brutal elegance at its best. Taking down Starc, slog-sweeping Cummins, inside out over extra cover. It was one of the best innings I’ve ever seen visually. It was just outstanding,” Hussain concluded.
