"He is special": Wasim Akram heaps praise on Team India star after BAN vs IND 2025 Champions Trophy clash
Former Pakistan legend Wasim Akram reserved massive praise for Team India skipper Rohit Sharma after his tone-setting knock in Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Bangladesh on Thursday. Akram recalled he knew the right-handed batter was special when he saw him playing in 2008.
Rohit, who completed 11000 ODI runs during the Champions Trophy 2025 match on Thursday, gave the Men in Blue a perfect start on a tricky surface in a run-chase of 229. The 37-year-old struck seven boundaries in his 36-ball 41 before Taskin Ahmed got the better of him.
Speaking on the show 'The Dressing Room,' Akram remembered how well Rohit established himself as the breakout star during the tri-series in Australia in 2008.
"There is a lazy elegance about Rohit Sharma. He is special. He has scored three double centuries in ODIs. In 2008, during a tri-series in Australia, I was doing commentary, and all of us in the commentary box predicted that there was something special about this boy. He scored a fine 70 and looked so good to the eyes."
Nevertheless, the Indian skipper infamously dropped a simple catch at first slip, denying Axar Patel a hat-trick in the Champions Trophy. However, Rohit apologized to the left-arm spinner by folding hands following the incident.
"His batting complements Gill" - Cheteshwar Pujara lauds Indian skipper
Veteran Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara lauded Rohit for making other batters' jobs easier by racing off the blocks in the powerplay and said:
"His batting complements Gill. Rohit’s attacking style helps Gill settle down. With the strike rate he bats at in the first five overs, the score is 40. The other batter can take 10-15 balls to get set. Even if India lose a wicket early and Rohit is still at the crease for the next ten overs, he makes life easy for Virat also."
With a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh, Team India are riding high on confidence ahead of the high-voltage clash against Pakistan. Pakistan, the defending champions, got off with a 60-run defeat to New Zealand and are on the brink.