Mitchell Starc Reflects on Rohit Sharma’s Dominating Performance in T20 World Cup: ‘He Punished Every Bad Ball’

Mitchell Starc recently opened up about his experience facing Rohit Sharma during India’s T20 World Cup campaign. He highlighted the Indian captain’s incredible performance in the Super-8 match, where Rohit dismantled Australia’s bowling attack with a powerful 92-run inning.

Rohit Sharma’s Unstoppable Assault

During India’s journey to clinch the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma’s explosive innings against Australia stood out. The Indian skipper hammered 92 runs, taking Mitchell Starc apart for 29 runs in a single over. Reflecting on this match for the first time, Starc shared his thoughts on Rohit’s batting prowess.

“I’ve faced Rohit many times. He had a stellar tournament, particularly in our match. He cleverly targeted the wind in St. Lucia. I delivered five poor balls, and he dispatched all of them for sixes,” Starc revealed on the Willow Talk Cricket podcast.

A Memorable Over and a Tough Day for Starc

Starc’s four-over spell ended with him conceding 45 runs. Despite eventually dismissing Rohit, it was too late for Australia to recover. Rohit’s 92, the third-highest individual score of the tournament, propelled India to a formidable total of 205 runs. Australia fell short by 24 runs, dashing their hopes of reaching the semifinals.

“We thought 205 was a bit over par, but it was the best batting wicket we encountered in the World Cup. It wasn’t the fastest pitch in the West Indies, but certainly the best for scoring runs. It was chaseable, but a few setbacks and some excellent bowling from India halted our progress,” Starc added.

Rohit Sharma: India’s Leading Scorer

Rohit Sharma concluded the tournament as India’s highest run-scorer, amassing 257 runs in eight innings. His exceptional performance continued in the semifinal against England, cementing his status as a key player in India’s T20 World Cup triumph.