"Kya usne phainti lagayi hai Mitchell Starc ki!"- Shoaib Akhtar lauds Rohit Sharma for his blazing knock in IND vs AUS T20 World Cup match
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was in awe of how Indian captain Rohit Sharma batted against Australia in their T20 World Cup Super 8 encounter in St. Lucia on Monday, June 24. Rohit scored a sizzling 92 runs off just 41 balls with the aid of seven boundaries and eight sixes.
The highlight of Rohit's innings was when he took down Mitchell Starc for 26 runs, smashing the Aussie pacer for three sixes and a couple of boundaries in his second over.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar spoke about the carnage.
"Rohit Sharma did exactly what he should have done. What incredible intent did he bat with! Kya usne phainti lagayi hai Mitchell Starc ki!(How well did he smash Mitchell Starc!). This is how true leaders play. They play selflessly and want play for the team and for the country and want to win. This is how his intent has been for the past year," he said.
Akhtar also praised Rohit for not slowing down for his hundred and for playing at the same tempo throughout his innings. Rohit's blitz built the platform for a mammoth score of 205/5 posted by the Men in Blue.
Shoaib Akhtar slams Australia's decision-making
Shoaib Akhtar was baffled to see Australia win the toss and opt to bowl first despite having an idea that the pitch may get slower as the day game progressed. He also questioned Mitchell Starc and other bowlers for not using their variations early in the innings.
"Poor decision-making by Australia. When you have already been smashed by Afghanistan, you are giving them the license that 'come please hit us.' When you take the pace off the ball, it grips into the surface and big-hitting is not easy as the pitch gets slower. But you are giving pace. Poor decision-making from Mitchell Starc," he said in the same video.
Australia fought valiantly in the chase but could only muster 181/7 in their 20 overs. Afghanistan's thrilling win over Bangladesh has meant that the Aussies have been knocked out of the tournament.