The former explosive opening batsman of the Indian team and an integral part of the 2011 World Cup winning team, Virender Sehwag, criticised Indian Captain Rohit Sharma for shot selection during the India v Australia World Cup Final. “Had Rohit been smart with his shot selection, the situation could have been different,” Sehwag said after Rohit threw away his wicket in the important game.
Rohit Sharma, who consistently provided an aggressive start to team India throughout the World Cup, again started well, cruising with 47 off just 31 balls. However, a loose shot trying to clear the 30-yard circle over the covers cost him his wicket and pushed India on the back foot.
Sehwag, in a conversation with Cricbuzz, said, “He may or may not be disappointed by it, but team management would certainly be. The coaching staff will tell him that when you have already hit a six and a four, you should not have played that shot. But Rohit thought, it was the last over of the Powerplay and he didn’t want to let Maxwell go easy. No doubt, it was a bad shot. You gave me a chance. If he had played it out, the situation could have been very different.”
How Rohit Sharma’s poor shot selection
Rohit’s wicket came in the final over of the powerplay, where he was going after Glenn Maxwell. After striking a six and a four, Rohit played another aggressive stroke going down the ground, and not middling the shot properly and getting a top edge. Travis Head took a brilliant catch at cover point, and it proved to be the last time India had an upper hand in the decider. Rohit ended up his World Cup scoring 594 runs, becoming the first Indian captain to score more than 500 runs in a World Cup edition.
Virender Sehwag’s career
Virender Sehwag has been one of the greatest and most aggressive batsmen to have played for India. Representing India in 104 tests, Sehwag has scored 8,586 runs, averaging just below 50. He has also played 251 ODIs, scoring 8,273 runs at a strike rate of 104. He was a part of India’s World Cup-winning teams of 2011 and the T20 World Cup, 2007.