[Watch] "Upar daale toh deta hu na" - Rohit Sharma's chat with Suryakumar Yadav before hitting 6 in IND vs ENG T20 World Cup semifinal goes viral
A video of Indian captain Rohit Sharma's discussion with Suryakumar Yadav during the second 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal against England in Guyana on Thursday, June 27 has gone viral on social media. In the clip, Rohit is heard telling his batting partner that if the bowler - Liam Livingstone - pitches it up, he will go for a big one. Rohit then walks the talk and tonks the next ball for a maximum.
India beat England by 68 runs in the second semifinal of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Sent into bat, the Men in Blue put up a competitive 171-7 on the board as Rohit top-scored with 57 off 39, while Suryakumar contributed 47 off 36. In the chase, England were bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs as Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav claimed three wickets each.
Rohit and Suryakumar added 73 for the third wicket to lift India after the early losses of Virat Kohli (9) and Rishabh Pant (4). A clip of an interaction during their valuable partnership has gone viral on social media. In the video, Rohit tells Suryakumar:
"Upar daale toh deta hu na." [If (the bowler) pitches it up, then I will go after it."]
The next delivery is pitched up by Livingstone, just outside off stump. Rohit sees an opportunity for a big hit and slams the delivery on the leg side for a well-timed six. This was the last delivery of the 11th over and took India to 86-2 and Rohit to 48. He reached a well-deserved half-century before being bowled by Adil Rashid.
"Important to keep calm and composed" - Rohit Sharma on T20 World Cup final
Following their excellent win over England, India will now take on South Africa in the final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday, June 29. While there will be the pressure of the occasion, Rohit stated that it will be important for the team to stay calm.
"We've been very calm as a team. We do understand the occasion (in the final), but for us, it's important to keep calm and composed. That helps us make good decisions. We need to make good decisions through the 40 overs," he said after the semifinal win.
"In this game too, we were steady and calm, and didn't panic too much. That has been the key for us. Yes, we do understand the occasion is important, but we need to play good cricket as well," Rohit added.
The Indian captain has led from the front with the willow in the T20 World Cup, smashing 248 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 155.97.