'Rohit Sharma deserves to lift trophy': Shoaib Akhtar drops 'this is your World Cup' remark after Australia demolition

With India exacting the revenge of the ICC World Cup 2023 against Australia, legendary Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar is convinced that Rohit Sharma is all set to lift the T20 World Cup trophy on Saturday. Champions in the inaugural edition of the ICC event, Team India, hammered Australia in the rematch of the 2023 World Cup final on Monday. Rohit played a captain's knock as India advanced to the semi-finals of the ICC event.

Rewriting record books with his quick-fire knock in India's final game of the Super 8 stage, Rohit smashed 92 off just 41 balls against Australia. The Indian skipper recorded the second-highest score for India at the T20 World Cup. Rohit smoked eight sixes to break Yuvraj Singh's T20 World Cup. The veteran Indian opener holds the record for hitting the most sixes in a single T20 World Cup innings for the Men In Blue.

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'Well done India, this is your World Cup now'

As Rohit and Co. marched into the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup with a Hitman special, Pakistan's Akhtar said that Team India deserves to lift the famous trophy in the Caribbean. "Well done India, this is your World Cup now. You should win this and the World Cup should stay in the subcontinent. You should have won the previous too and this too. You deserve it one hundred percent. My support is with you. Rohit's intent is good and his conscience is clear. He deserves to lift the trophy," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

'Depression turned into obsession'

With Rohit at the helm, India recorded a perfect ten in the 2023 edition of the T20 World Cup. However, India recorded a stunning defeat at the hands of Australia in the World Cup final to extend its trophyless run. Rohit and Co. will meet England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday. "What a comprehensive win for India. They had been going through depression after they lost a World Cup that they should have won. They had lost to Australia in the final and that depression turned into obsession. They wanted to hit back at Australia," Akhtar added.