[Watch] Ritika Sajdeh's reaction after Rohit Sharma's match-winning 36-ball fifty in low-scoring clash vs Ireland in 2024 T20 World Cup
Team India captain Rohit Sharma received appreciation from his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, in the stands after his match-winning half-century against Ireland. It came in their 2024 T20 World Cup opener on Wednesday, June 5. The Indian team performed collectively in all departments and beat Ireland comfortably by eight wickets to commence their World Cup campaign on a high note.
Ireland batted first in the contest and got bundled out for 96 in 16 overs. Hardik Pandya (3/27), Jasprit Bumrah (2/6), and Arshdeep Singh (2/35) were too hot to handle for Irish batters on a spicy pitch with invariable bounce.
Rohit Sharma led the Indian team from the front in the tricky chase with a 36-ball half-century to ensure there were no hiccups. It was not his usual fluent knock as he was beaten multiple times but kept fighting and hit boundaries when the opportunity presented. After Rohit notched up the personal milestone in the 10th over, Ritika Sajdeh appreciated his batting effort from the stands by clapping with a beaming smile.
You can watch Ritika Sajdeh's reaction to Rohit's half-century in the video below:
"To get those two points was very important"- Indian captain Rohit Sharma after easy win vs Ireland in 2024 T20 World Cup
After a comfortable win in the low-scoring match against Ireland, Rohit Sharma said that the pitch was unpredictable. Reflecting on the victory, he said:
"We were quite unsure of what to expect of the pitch. It's a new ground, new venue, drop-in pitch. Not really aware of what it is like playing on a pitch which is 5 months old. It was all about getting used to the conditions, so that's why we bowled first to look at the conditions, see how the pitch plays. Don't think the wicket settled down when we batted second."
Rohit continued:
"To get those two points was very important. When there's enough on the pitch, you've got to stick to the basics, think of bowling Test match lengths, try and hit them consistently. All these guys have played a lot of Test cricket, Arshdeep's the only guy who hasn't played a lot of it. With him, swinging the ball back in to the right handers was vital."
India will next face Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Sunday at the same venue in New York.