India extended their winning streak in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with their eighth consecutive win. Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar praised India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, saying that he missed out to score at least five more centuries if he exhibited more patience in his batting approach. Akhtar also mentioned that Rohit could have hit South African bowler Tabraiz Shamsi for 15-20 sixes he was facing his deliveries. Watch the video below.
After India trounced South Africa by 243 runs on Sunday to confirm top of the table finish, Shoaib Akhtar, in a conversation with Zee News, stated, “Rohit Sharma has every shot, if Tabraiz Shamsi bowled such balls to Rohit Sharma, Rohit would have hit him with at least 15 to 20 sixes. India’s score would have been 430+ if he played more overs.”
He added, “I want to emphasize that he could have scored five centuries in the ongoing World Cup, and it’s a bit disappointing that he didn’t. I understand that he’s the captain, and his aggressive style of play lays the foundation for Virat Kohli and the lower-order batsmen to perform well. I genuinely hope he achieves a substantial century soon.”
Rohit Sharma in World Cup 2023
Rohit Sharma is enjoying a remarkable run in the ongoing World Cup, playing a pivotal role in giving India strong starts. He has now moved up to the fourth position in the list of leading run-scorers in the tournament. His top score in this World Cup stands at 131 runs against Afghanistan last month. In the match against South Africa, Rohit contributed 40 runs from 24 deliveries.
IND vs SA
Coming to the match, opting to bat first, India posted a commanding total of 326 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 50 overs, riding on Virat Kohli’s 49th ODI century. Shreyas Iyer, batting at the fourth position, contributed with a valuable 77 runs from 87 balls, with seven fours and two sixes. Subsequently, Ravindra Jadeja took five wickets as India dismissed South Africa for a mere 83 runs in 27.1 overs.
Following their previous win against Sri Lanka at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium last week, India became the first team to secure a spot in the semi-finals. With their triumph over South Africa, India also claimed the top position in the points table, regardless of the outcome of their upcoming match against the Netherlands at Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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