Rohit Sharma
's brutal attack against
Australia
's bowling spearhead
Mitchell Starc
during the recently concluded
T20 World Cup
has become part of cricketing folklore, as it not just helped India beat the Aussies but also put them on the brink of an early exit from the tournament. For some, it was also revenge for the defeat in the ODI World Cup final last year.
The loos against India hit Australia's chances hard as the 2021 champions failed to enter the semis, while India went on to win the trophy defeating South Africa in the final.
India's win followed euphoric celebrations on the field in Barbados, in the dressing room and later upon their arrival home. The T20 world champions were invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by an open bus parade at the Marine Drive in Mumbai that saw lakhs of fans coming onto the streets to join their heroes in celebration.
While the win has started sinking in, the Rohit mania fails to cease as the India captain visited the US for a promotional event after a small family vacation in the UK, and was greeted by fans with shouts of "Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Starc".
It was the fans' way of telling the skipper that they enjoyed him taking the Australian apart and will never forget the entertainment.
The shouts drew Rohit's attention instantaneously. He replied, "calm down, guys" and followed it up with a cheeky smile while on the stage.
WATCH
India met Australia during the 'Super 8s' stage of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, and Rohit played probably the best innings of the tournament, scoring 92 runs off just 41 deliveries.
Starc bore the maximum impact of Rohit's onslaught, conceding 29 runs in one over where he was smashed for four sixes and a four.
WATCH
Reflecting later on that during an episode of Willow Talk podcast, Starc had said: "I have played a lot against him. He had a good tournament, especially at the back end. I think he targeted that wind in St Lucia as well. It was the one end that went for a lot more (runs) than the other.”
"I think I had five bad balls and he hit them all for six."
English (US) ·