GROS ISLET: India marched into the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Monday after skipper Rohit Sharma’s blistering 92 set up their 24-run victory over Australia, who are now on the brink of elimination.

Right-handed Rohit clobbered eight sixes in his 41-ball blitz to lay the foundation for India’s imposing total of 205-5, their highest score in the tournament, in Gros Islet, St Lucia.

Travis Head led Australia’s chase with a belligerent 76 off 43 balls — featuring nine fours and four sixes — but India managed to restrict them to 181-7 to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

The Super Eight clash between two former champion teams had assumed greater importance after Afghanistan stunned Australia on Saturday to throw Group 1 wide open.

Josh Hazlewood drew first blood as he bounced out Virat Kohli for a duck after Australia elected to field.

Rohit has not been in the best of form but the India captain threw Starc out of the attack by hitting the fast bowler for four sixes in a 29-run over.

Pat Cummins, who claimed back-to-back hat-tricks in his last two games, was pressed into service to end the batting carnage.

Rohit greeted him by depositing the seamer’s first ball on the roof of the stadium for a monster six en route to a 19-ball fifty, his first of the tournament.

India raced to the 100-mark in the ninth over but Starc returned to deny Rohit what could have been the first hundred by a batter in this tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav (31) and Shivam Dube (28) produced breezy cameos and Hardik Pandya made 27 not out to propel India to their first 200-plus total of the tournament.

Paceman Arshdeep Singh rattled Australia by removing David Warner in the first over in what could be the veteran opener’s last game in an Australia shirt. The aggressive left-handed batter has played 109 T20 Internationals, making 3271 runs at an average of 33.72, since making his debut in the game’s shortest format in 2009.

Mitchell Marsh (37) joined Head and they counter-attacked to put Australia’s chase back on track.

Axar Patel leapt to take a stunning one-handed catch at deep square leg to dismiss Marsh but Head raced to a 24-ball fifty.

Left-arm spinner wrist Kuldeep Yadav castled the dangerous Glenn Maxwell (20) and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah effectively sealed India’s victory when he dismissed left-handed Head with a clever change of pace.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies vs South Africa

WEST INDIES:

K. Mayers c Stubbs b Shamsi 35

S. Hope c Stubbs b Jansen 0

N. Pooran c Jansen b Markram 1

R. Chase c Rabada b Shamsi 52

R. Powell st de Kock b Maharaj 1

S. Rutherford c Markram b Shamsi 0

A. Russell run out (Nortje) 15

A. Hosein c&b Rabada 6

A. Joseph not out 11

G. Motie not out 4

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, W-8) 10

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs) 135

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-2 (Hope), 2-5, (Pooran), 3-86 (Mayers), 4-89 (Powell), 5-94 (Rutherford), 6-97 (Chase), 7-117 (Russell), 8-118 (Hosein)

DID NOT BAT: O. McCoy

BOWLING: Jansen 2-0-17-1 (4w), Markram 4-0-28-1 (2w), Maharaj 4-0-24-1, Nortje 4-0-26-0 (2w), Shamsi 4-0-27-3, Rabada 2-0-11-1

SOUTH AFRICA:

Q. de Kock c Rutherford b Russell 12

R. Hendricks c Pooran b Russell 0

A. Markram c Mayers b Joseph 18

T. Stubbs c Mayers b Chase 29

H. Klaasen c Pooran b Joseph 22

D. Miller b Chase 4

M. Jansen not out 21

K. Maharaj c Joseph b Chase 2

K. Rabada not out 5

EXTRAS (B-2, W-9) 11

TOTAL (for seven wickets, 16.1 overs) 124

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12 (Hendricks), 2-15 (de Kock), 3-42 (Markram), 4-77 (Klaasen), 5-93 (Miller), 6-100 (Stubbs), 7-110 (Maharaj)

DID NOT BAT: A. Nortje, T. Shamsi

BOWLING: Hosein 3-0-31-0, Russell 4-0-19-2 (1w), Joseph 4-0-25-2 (1w), Motie 1-0-20-0, McCoy 1.1-0-15-0 (3w), Chase 3-0-12-3

RESULT: South Africa won by three wickets (DLS Method).

India vs Australia

INDIA:

R. Sharma b Starc 92

V. Kohli c David b Hazlewood 0

R. Pant c Hazlewood b Stoinis 15

S. Yadav c Wade b Starc 31

S. Dube c Warner b Stoinis 28

H. Pandya not out 27

R. Jadeja not out 9

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-2) 3

TOTAL (for five wickets, 20 overs) 205

DID NOT BAT: A. Patel, K. Yadav, A. Singh, J. Bumrah

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Kohli), 2-93 (Pant), 3-127 (Sharma), 4-159

(S. Yadav), 5-194 (Dube)

BOWLING: Starc 4-0-45-2 (1w), Hazlewood 4-0-14-1, Cummins 4-0-48-0, Zampa 4-0-41-0, Stoinis 4-0-56-2 (1w)

AUSTRALIA:

D. Warner c S. Yadav b Arshdeep 6

T. Head c Sharma b Bumrah 76

M. Marsh c Patel b K. Yadav 37

G. Maxwell b K. Yadav 19

M. Stoinis c Pandya b Patel 2

T. David c Bumrah b Arshdeep 15

M. Wade c K. Yadav b Arshdeep 1

P. Cummins not out 11

M. Starc not out 4

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-1, W-3) 9

TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 181

DID NOT BAT: A. Zampa, J. Hazlewood

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Warner), 2-87 (Marsh), 3-128 (Maxwell), 4-135 (Stoinis), 5-150 (Head), 153-6 (Wade), 7-166 (David)

BOWLING: Arshdeep 4-0-37-3 (2w), Bumrah 4-0-29-1, Patel 3-0-21-1, Pandya 4-0-47-0 (1w), K. Yadav 4-0-24-2, Jadeja 1-0-17-0

RESULT: India won by 24 runs.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2024