While India had won ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 five matches prior to meeting Australia in St Lucia on Monday, 24 June, the sixth victory was special. For, India had not only qualified for the semi-final with a 24-run victory over the Aussies, but did so as the group leaders, which gives them a direct entry into the final should rain play spoilsport on 27 June.
Moreover, with this victory, India are significantly diminished – if not obliterated – Australia’s semi-final hopes. Asked to bat first, the 2007 champions scored 205/5, courtesy of captain Rohit Sharma’s 41-ball 92. In response, Arshdeep Singh scalped a three-wicket haul as Australia were restricted to 181/7.
Let’s have a look at what everyone said after the match:
Fifties and Hundreds Don’t Matter to Me: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma started his campaign in this competition with a half-century against Ireland, but then endured a challenging patch, where he scored only 47 runs in four matches. Amid questions on his efficacy, Sharma showed why he still is among India’s better batters in this format, with a scintillating 41-ball 92.
His knock included 7 fours and 8 sixes, and had it not been for a Mitchell Starc yorker, he could have registered his first T20 World Cup century. The Indian captain, however, iterated that milestones are of no importance to him.
We have to see what the bowlers are doing and play accordingly. I thought right from the first over, there was a strong breeze. They changed their plan and started bowling against the breeze, so I realised I had to open up the off side as well. You've got to factor in the breeze, and understand that the bowlers are smart as well, and open up all sides of the field. When you keep an open mind and not just think of one shot, you can access all areas of the field. It was a good wicket, and you want to try and back yourself to play those kinds of shots. I've been trying to do that for a few years now, and I'm glad it came off today. I have told this before – the fifties and hundreds don't matter to me. I wanted to bat with the same tempo and put the bowlers under pressure. You want to make big scores, yes, but at the same time you want to make the bowlers think where the next shot is coming. I think I managed to do that today.Rohit Sharma
‘We Don’t Want To Think about the Opposition’
India’s semi-final opponent will be England – the same team whom they met in the semi-final of the 2022 edition of this tournament, and suffered a rather embarrassing 10-wicket defeat.
On this occasion, however, Sharma said he does not want his players to think about the opposition and continuing playing freely, as they have been doing so far.
It's quite satisfying to play like that. We knew Australia’s threat, but we kept doing the things we know best. We can take a lot of confidence from that. 200 is obviously a good score, but when you're playing on grounds like this where wind is a factor, anything can happen. We used the conditions very well. It was very pleasing to see how we were getting through those overs and getting the wickets at the right time. We understand the strength Kuldeep Yadav has, but we have to use it when we it. The pitches in New York were seamer-friendly, but we knew he would play a big role later. We don't want to do anything different in the semi-final. We want to play the same way, play freely and not think about the opposition. So far we've been doing that consistently. It'll be nice to play against England, but nothing changes for us.Rohit Sharma
India Were the Better Team: Mitchell Marsh
Australian captain Mitchell Marsh admitted that whilst there were a lot of ‘small margins’ in the match, India were undoubtedly the better team. Albeit his team is still placed second in the Super 8 Group 2 standings, Australia will need Bangladesh to beat Afghanistan in order to qualify for the semi-finals. Understandably, Marsh encouraged the Tigers to roar against the Afghans.
It's disappointing. We still technically have a chance to go through. India got the better of us today. I think over the course of 40 overs, there were a lot of small margins, but honestly, India were the better team. Rohit Sharma is a class player. For 15 years, we have seen what can do in that kind of mood, and he got off to an absolute flier. Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell’s batting gave us belief in the run chase, but India were too good for us in the end. Come on, Bangladesh!Mitchell Marsh
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