IND vs NZ: How Rohit Sharma proved he is bravest India white-ball captain in Wankhede semi-final vs New Zealand

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IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma once again proved that he is not just Team India captain but the leader of the pack when he took the field against New Zealand in the all-important semi-final of the World cup 2023 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma was on song from ball one and played fearless shots to set the tone early in the innings for India. Trent Boult who has feasted on Indian top-order with his left-arm swing bowling in the past, was hammered for 10 runs in the first over of the match.

He hit two boundaries in the first over from Boult. He welcomed the veteran pacer with a six on the first ball of the third over. His partner Tim Southee was hit for a four and six in the fourth over before Boult was hammered again for six in the fifth over.

The six was his 50th in World Cups - the most by any batter in the history of the tournament. Chris Gayle (49) held the record previously. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was introduced in the sixth over to put control on the run flow.

But unbothered took on the extremely economical bowler as well, hitting a boundary on the second delivery and then following it up with pull over square leg for a six.

The 36-year-old was just three short of his fifth fifty-plus score in the World Cup 2023. However, ended up giving a catch to Kane Williamson while trying to clear the long-off boundary.

IND vs NZ: How Rohit Sharma proved he is bravest India white-ball captain

Rohit Sharma departed for 47 off 29 balls but cracked open the game once again for the team. India collected 47 in the first five overs and at the time he departed, the Indian scorecard read 71/1 in 8.2 overs.

The knock allowed Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, who walked in at three, time to get used to conditions. On the same surface, Shubman Gill took 21 balls for his first 21 balls. Virat Kohli scored his first 29 balls off 39 deliveries. However, the starting impetus provided by Rohit Sharma kept India Run Rate (RR) intact.

The approach from Rohit has been nothing but fearless. He has consistently played impactful knocks at the top to put the opposition on the back foot from the very beginning. He scored 61 off 54 against Netherlands, 40 off 24 vs South Africa, 87 off 101 against England in Lucknow where batting was extremely tough, 40 off 40 against New Zealand in league stage, 48 off 40 vs Bangladesh, 86 off 63 vs Pakistan and a 63-ball hundred against Afghanistan.

This was the approach India batting was lacking in the previous ICC events. Rohit Shama did not just bring the idea to the table but led by example by showing how theory has to be executed in practicality.

Harbhajan Singh, who was sitting in the commentary box, once again heaped praises on Rohit Sharma and admitted that this was something which was lacking in India's previous World Cup campaigns. He also credited Rohit Sharma for creating a dressing atmosphere which was missing in the Indian camp for a while now.