[Watch] Ritika Sajdeh applauds Rohit Sharma's explosive 19-ball half-century from the stands during IND vs AUS 2024 T20 World Cup clash
India captain Rohit Sharma's wife Ritika Sajdeh was elated upon witnessing a magnificent performance from her husband during the 2024 T20 World Cup match against Australia on Monday (June 24). The Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, hosted the Super Eight clash.
Team India batted first in the contest after losing the toss. They suffered an early setback as Virat Kohli got out for a five-ball duck in the second over. Rohit Sharma took the onus on himself in the pressure match and led the way for his team with a scintillating knock. He smashed the bowlers all around the park in the powerplay and raced to a half-century in just 19 balls. In the stands, Ritika Sajdeh was seen applauding Rohit's effort, clapping with joy after he reached the milestone.
You can watch Ritika Sajdeh's reaction in the video below:
Rohit Sharma continued his onslaught even after the powerplay, as he scored 92 (41) before perishing in the 12th over. Suryakumar Yadav (31), Shivam Dube (28), and Hardik Pandya (27*) then chipped in with decent contributions to take India to 205 in 20 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav (2/24), Arshdeep Singh (3/37), and other bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 181/7 in 20 overs and win the game for India by 24 runs. Travis Head tried hard with a fighting knock of 76 (43), but it ended in vain as he did not receive much support from others.
"That is what I have to do at the top of the order"- India captain Rohit Sharma after his match-winning knock vs Australia in 2024 T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma received the Player of the Match award at the post-match presentation for his impactful batting performance in the first innings. Reflecting on his knock, Rohit said (via ESPNCricinfo):
"That is what I have to do at the top of the order, see what the bowlers are doing and play accordingly. From over number one, there was a strong breeze. They bowled against the breeze, so I had to open up the other side. We need to be smart when we play and that is something I was backing myself to do."
Downplaying the importance of milestones in this format, Sharma continued:
"Fifties and hundreds don't matter, as I said before. I wanted to bat with the same tempo and carry on playing shots whenever necessary and put the bowlers under pressure. When you are set like that, you want to make big scores but you also have to make the bowlers think where the next shot is coming from."
India will face England in the second semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Thursday (June 27).