India secured a spot in the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a 24-run victory over Australia in St Lucia on Monday. Captain Rohit Sharma played a blistering innings, scoring 92 runs off just 41 balls, which included seven fours and eight sixes, leading his team to a formidable total of 205-5.
Australia’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals are now slim, and they will be eliminated if Afghanistan loses to Bangladesh later on Monday.
Rohit’s explosive innings was the highlight after Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss in this Super Eights match. Despite India star batsman Virat Kohli being dismissed for a five-ball duck by Josh Hazlewood, who delivered an impressive spell with figures of 1-14 in four overs, Rohit took charge. Hazlewood’s wicket came from a fine running catch by Tim David.
Rohit especially targeted Mitchell Starc, who was brought into the Australian side after their surprising 21-run defeat to Afghanistan. In a single over from Starc, Rohit hammered 29 runs, including four sixes – two consecutive hits over extra-cover, a massive strike over deep midwicket, and a top-edged full toss over the wicketkeeper. However, Starc managed to dismiss Rohit with a superb yorker, leaving India at 127-3 in the 12th over.
Although the scoring rate dipped after Rohit’s dismissal, Suryakumar Yadav (31), Shivam Dube (28), and Hardik Pandya (27 not out) provided valuable contributions. Starc recovered well to finish with figures of 2-45, while fellow paceman Pat Cummins remained wicketless, conceding 48 runs.
Suryakumar Yadav praised Rohit’s innings during the break, saying, “Watching Rohit bat was like a dream; he was phenomenal. Before the game, we discussed our batting strategy, and he executed it perfectly. It’s a good total, and the pitch offers something for the bowlers, so we hope to defend it.”
In response, Australia lost an early wicket in the first over. However, a solid 81-run partnership between Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh provided momentum. Yet, no batsman could capitalize after Marsh’s dismissal. Australia’s chances diminished significantly when Head was dismissed in the 17th over, sealing their fate in the match.
