T20 World Cup Super Eights Sharma powers India into semi-finals with 92 off 41 balls

Skipper Rohit Sharma pulverised Australia into a pulp with an extraordinary innings of 92 off 41 balls with seven fours and eight sixes as he took India into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with an emphatic 24-run win in a Super Eight match played at Gros Islet on Monday.

India came into this game as marginal favourites given how clinical they had been in the lead up to this game. Australia on the other hand were low on confidence after their loss to Afghanistan. 

Sharma hammered 29 off Starc in an over and that set the tone for the rest of the innings. Cameos from Suriyakumar Yadav (31 from 16), Shivam Dube (28 from 22) and Hardik Pandya (27* from 17) propelled India to 205-5.

Australia lost David Warner in the first over for six, but Travis Head and Mitch Marsh put on 81 to keep them in the hunt. The introduction of spin saw Australia slip in the middle overs as Kuldeep Yadav got rid of Marsh for 37 and the dangerous Glenn Maxwell for 20. From the other end Head kept smacking the Indian bowlers all over the park racing to 76 off 43 balls (9 fours, 4 sixes). But India made a terrific comeback with the ball in the latter stages. It was begun by Kuldeep and Axar Patel and finished off with the fast bowlers.

India thus maintained their clean record. They will meet England in the semi-finals. Australia’s dreams of a semi-final slot now rests in the hands of Bangladesh. An emphatic win for Bangladesh can hand them a ticket to the semis as well.

Afghanistan now cannot surpass Australia on Net Run Rate with a defeat. They need to beat Bangladesh or the match should end in a no-result for them to progress.

Scores: India 205-5 (20) (Rohit Sharma 92, Suryakumar Yadav 31, Shivam Dube 28, Hardik Pandya 27*, Mitchell Starc 2/45, Marcus Stoinis 2/56)

Australia 181-7 (20) (Travis Head 76, Mitchell Marsh 37, Glenn Maxwell 20, Arshdeep Singh 3/37, Kuldeep Yadav 2/24)