Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 final, South African cricketers Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada showered praise on Indian captain Rohit Sharma. They acknowledged him as one of the greatest batters in the sport. This recognition comes as no surprise. Rohit Sharma, India's opening batsman for over a decade, has established himself as a legend of the game. He's consistently ranked among the world's best openers and has been the backbone of the Indian team across all formats. Currently leading India in the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma has been instrumental in their journey to the finals. He will be hoping to continue his stellar form and guide India to victory against South Africa on Thursday, June 29th.
Rohit Sharma isn't just leading India on the field, he's leading by example with the bat as well. Currently the team's highest run scorer with a whopping 248 runs, he's been a force to be reckoned with. His exceptional leadership has played a crucial role in India's undefeated run in the tournament. With the finals just ahead, India is hungry for the title, and Rohit's stellar performance on both sides of the coin gives them a strong chance.
South African cricketer Keshav Maharaj spoke highly of Rohit Sharma before the final. He acknowledged Rohit's fearless batting style and praised his sensational leadership skills. Here's what he had to say on Star Sports:
"I've always been a huge fan of Rohit Sharma. I think from a batting perspective, he's fearless. I think he's got probably one of the best shots over cover in world cricket, if ever when he's on song as well. And from a leadership perspective, I think you can see he leads the game well. He finds a way of sort of drawing everyone together and making everyone feel comfortable. But I also think his tactfulness on the field with how he approaches various characters to bring out the best in them is fairly standout for me," Maharaj said.
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South Africa star batter David Miller also lavished praise on the ‘Hitman’ and said:
"Oh look, he's always calm. He just seems like he's got it all together."
Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada also couldn't stop himself from lauding Indian captain.
"He is one of India's greatest batters. That's what I admire about him. Yeah, he's chilled," Rabada said.
Heinrich Klaasen offered a unique perspective on Rohit Sharma's captaincy. He acknowledged Rohit's strategic mind, praising his ability to make good calls and even 'play with the opposition's ego'. Klaasen further expressed his desire to pick Rohit's brain about the game sometime in the future.
"I think he's got an unbelievable cricket brain, very gutsy. He makes a lot of great calls that other captains don't do. He does blow on your ego a lot. So I would like to have a conversation about him, and how he thinks about the game. So hopefully one year I'll pass or cross and we can have a conversation about that. But he's a special, special cricketer when he's in form. It's not a lot of bowlers that can bowl to him. So hopefully he won't get form against us," Klaasen stated.
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