Rohit belts out multiple World Cup records in final against Australia

Sports

Hindustan Times
19 November, 2023, 05:15 pm
Last modified: 19 November, 2023, 05:20 pm
Rohit Sharma smashed multiple records with his entertaining knock against Australia in the ICC World Cup final.

Continuing his sublime run in the ICC World Cup 2023 on Sunday, India skipper Rohit Sharma provided the hosts with a promising start against the mighty Australian side in the final. India's unbeaten streak of 10 matches was on the line when Rohit and Co. squared off against Pat Cummins' Australia in the ICC World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Leading India's charge in the summit clash, Rohit once again went after the frontline pacers of the opposition in the powerplay.

The veteran opener launched an all-out attack on the Australian bowlers while his partner-in-crime Shubman Gill had a forgetful outing against Australia in the final. Rohit and Gill added 30 runs for the first four overs in which the Indian skipper did the bulk of scoring. Rohit and Gill have scored the second-most runs as a batting pair in a One Day International (ODI) calendar year in the 2023 season.

The India openers have also surpassed Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, who added 1518 runs in the 1999 season. Gill and Rohit have smashed 1523 runs in the 2023 season. The Indian openers are only behind the iconic duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly's record tally of 1635 runs. Ganguly and Tendulkar scripted the stunning record back in 1998. While Gill perished for 4 off 7 balls, India skipper Rohit narrowly missed out on notching up a quick-fire half-century against Australia in the ICC World Cup final.

India captain goes past Gayle and Williamson
Interestingly, Rohit achieved two spectacular records with his entertaining knock against the five-time winners. Rohit smoked his six No. 86 to go past Chris Gayle, who fired 85 sixes against England in ODIs. Rohit has now hit the most sixes against a single team (86 vs Australia) in the 50-over format.

The 36-year-old also became the highest-scoring captain in a single World Cup edition. The Hitman accumulated 594 runs at the ODI World Cup 2023. The Indian captain has eclipsed New Zealand's Kane Williamson to unlock the special milestone at the World Cup. The Kiwis skipper scored 578 runs in the 2019 World Cup.

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.