Hamburger Anzeiger - Rohit powers India to 205-5 against Australia in T20 World Cup

NYSE - LSE
JRI -0.15% 13.15 $
BCC -3.38% 142.2 $
CMSD -0.52% 25.02 $
RBGPF 1.67% 60.5 $
NGG -1.41% 67.19 $
SCS 0.53% 13.21 $
RYCEF 0.68% 7.35 $
BCE 0.03% 33.49 $
CMSC -0.52% 24.79 $
RIO -1.32% 65.09 $
VOD -1.23% 9.73 $
GSK -0.64% 38.96 $
BP 1.25% 31.32 $
RELX 0.91% 48.59 $
AZN -0.37% 78.02 $
BTI -1.22% 35.37 $
Rohit powers India to 205-5 against Australia in T20 World Cup
Rohit powers India to 205-5 against Australia in T20 World Cup / Photo: Chandan Khanna - AFP

Rohit powers India to 205-5 against Australia in T20 World Cup

Rohit Sharma struck a quickfire 92 as India looked to book their place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup by defeating Australia in St. Lucia on Monday.

Text size:

The India captain's dashing innings -- he faced just 41 balls, including seven fours and eight sixes -- was the cornerstone of a total of 205-5 made after Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh won the toss in this Super Eights match.

India star batsman Virat Kohli holed out for a five-ball duck off Josh Hazlewood, who took an impressive 1-14 in his maximum four overs, with Tim David taking a fine running catch over his shoulder. But fellow opener Rohit then cut loose.

Rohit was particularly severe on Mitchell Starc, the only change to the Australia team that suffered a shock 21-run defeat by Afghanistan last time out.

He hit the left-arm fast bowler for 29 runs in a third over where he struck four sixes -- two in successive balls over extra-cover, a monster hit over deep midwicket and a top-edged full toss over the wicketkeeper.

But with Rohit threatening to the first hundred of this tournament, Starc bowled him with an excellent yorker to leave India 127-3 in the 12th over.

Suryakumar Yadav (31), Shivam Dube (28) and Hardik Pandya (27 not out) kept the runs coming.

Starc did well to finish with 2-45 as fellow paceman Pat Cummins went wicketless while conceding 48 runs.

Victory for India, beaten on home soil by Australia in the final of last year's 50-over World Cup, would put them into the semi-finals.

An Australia win will likely see them into the last four but they will not necessarily be eliminated if they lose, with Afghanistan in action against Bangladesh later Monday.

H.Brunner--HHA