Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's semi-final win in the 2023 World Cup ft. Sunil Gavaskar
Team India made it to the final of the ODI World Cup for the fourth time after a 70-run win over New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 edition at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer scripted historic tons while Mohammed Shami claimed a record seven-wicket haul to seal the Men in Blue's place in the final two.
The final of the competition is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The first semi-final was a fairly memorable one, not only because of India's performance but also because of the pre-match pitch talk as well as New Zealand's spirited display in reply during the run chase.
On that note, let us take a look at the top five expert reactions to India's semifinal win against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Nasser Hussain
The former England skipper narrated an interesting interaction he had with Dinesh Karthik earlier on in the tournament, where the wicketkeeper-batter mentioned Rohit Sharma's obsession with change after Team India's exit from the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final.
The humbling 10-wicket defeat was a huge wake-up call, to get India to realize that their timid approach will not work at the biggest stage. So much of what Hussain makes sense, considering the brand of cricket that India have showcased so far in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
He said on Sky Sports:
"The headlines tomorrow will be about (Virat) Kohli, will be about Shreyas Iyer, and will be about Mohammad Shami. But the genuine hero of this Indian side, who has changed the culture of this Indian side is Rohit Sharma. Dinesh Karthik was with the side when India played England in the semi-final of T20 World Cup in Adelaide, where they played meek, timid cricket, got a below-par score and England knocked them off by 10 wickets. He told DK that India needed to change."
The Men in Blue's spirited brand of cricket has been embraced by the fans and augurs well with the current set of players as well.
#2 Wasim Akram
The former Pakistan pacer praised India's all-round performance in the semi-final and left a special mention for skipper Rohit Sharma as well.
The skipper came out all guns blazing and took down Trent Boult and company to help India get off to a strong start in the semi-final.
Wasim Akram said on The Pavilion:
"Deserving candidates to qualify for the final. It was a complete performance in every aspect of the game, batting, bowling, fielding and captain leading from the front."
"We do not hear a lot about Rohit because he does not reach centuries, or hit double centuries, but the starts that he gives. He scored 47 off 29 balls, India hit 84 in the first 10 overs, that was the platform that India really needed," he added.
Team India's current success has had a lot to do with the manner Rohit Sharma has approached the first powerplay against the new ball.
#3 Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary Indian batter had a lot to say against the individuals who believed that the hosts tilted things in their favor by changing the pitch at the last minute.
The semi-final encounter was played on a used pitch rather than a fresh one, which triggered several people.
In a spirited post-match discussion with the broadcasters, Gavaskar said:
"This has been such a good pitch to bat on. Look, we have got almost 730 runs scores. All those morons, who were talking about the pitch being changed, about it favoring Indian bowlers, I just hope that they shut up."
"Stop taking potshots at India just because it helps you to get the eyeballs, it is nonsense! The pitch, even if it was changed, it was there before the toss for both the teams. It was not changed during the mid-innings break nor was it changed after the toss was done. The pitch was right there," he continued.
Gavaskar also praised India's performance during a chat with Shreyas Iyer in the same interaction after the match.
#4 Shoaib Akhtar
The former Pakistani pacer stated that India deserve to be in the final because of the cricket they have played over the course of the entire campaign.
He said on his YouTube channel:
"India thoroughly deserves to be in the final, if you look at their batting, bowling, fielding and even their bench strength, if this team doesn't deserve to reach the final then which team does?"
Reserving special praise for Rohit Sharma's captaincy as well as his approach as an opening batter, Akhtar continued:
"India again brutally hammered New Zealand. All credit goes to Rohit Sharma as a captain. He hammers bowlers in the opening overs. If Gill stayed on the pitch, he could have completed his ton. Shreyas Iyer is an amazing talent; he is a guy who takes away a lot of pressure from the senior players. India deserves to be in the final."
India have won the World Cup a total of two times, and have recorded one loss in the finals of the competition, coming in the 2003 edition against Australia.
#5 Matthew Hayden
The former Australia opening batter shed light on Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the middle overs of the second innings, a phase where New Zealand were dominating.
The duo of Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell were piling on the runs and India were severely under pressure and desperate for a breakthrough.
Hayden said on ESPNcricinfo:
He didn't let the game drift. He didn't panic. India went missing there for half an hour; it was a crazy 30 minutes of wonderful batting by Daryl Mitchell, supported by skipper Kane Williamson. But he didn't let that affect the team. He pulled back his main men. There were two or three wickets back-to-back, and then the tables turned."
Praising the New Zealand side, who are likely to usher into a new era with a fresh batch of younger players to replace the aging members, Hayden added:
"This New Zealand side have punched way above their weight. They have been great fighters and wonderful champions, some of whom we may see retire, like Kane Williamson. They just should hold their heads up completely high because they have been fantastic competitors in all these ICC events for two decades now."
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