T20 World Cup 2022: [WATCH] Rohit Sharma fails yet again, falls to a short delivery against Zimbabwe in the final Super 12 game
Indian captain Rohit Sharma once again had a forgettable outing at the World Cup after falling for just 15 in their final Super 12 game against Zimbabwe at the MCG. The trap was set by Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine and Rohit succumbed to the invitation.
After a sedated start in the first two overs, Rohit Sharma tried to utilize the fielding restrictions but fell in an attempt to clear the longer boundary towards the deep backward square leg region.
On the fifth delivery of the fourth over, Muzarabani banged one in short and Rohit couldn’t quite get on top of the bounce. It was a crisp sound from the bat but it carried all the way to Wellington Masakadza, stationed at deep backward square leg.
A failure for Rohit Sharma once again as India tries to finish the Group stage as table toppers
Rohit has been far from his best in the World Cup and has been dismissed in the powerplay on all occasions barring the Netherlands game, where he got a reprieve. That doesn’t augur well for India, who will either face either a resurgent New Zealand or a strongly oiled England in the semi-final.
In 5 innings so far, Rohit has only scored 52 runs in the powerplay with a strike rate of 89.65. Even the half-century against the Netherlands was a scratchy knock but given his stature, he should look to overcome his struggles and play a stellar role for India in the semi-final.
Winning the toss, Rohit Sharma elected to bat. Richard Ngarava started with a maiden as Zimbabwe bowled reasonably well in the powerplay. KL Rahul looked in great touch and struck some impressive shots. Suryakumar Yadav played a blinder at the end of the Indian innings (61 off 25 not out) to help India post 186.
Zimbabwe were bundled out for 115, handing India a 71-run victory. The day began with an unlikely victory for the Netherlands against a much-fancied South Africa which knocked the Proteas out of the tournament. From nowhere, the game between Pakistan and Bangladesh became a virtual quarter-final. Pakistan won it comfortably, thus becoming the fourth team to qualify for the semi-finals.