"Maar Ke Bharta Nikaal Deta Hai": Akhtar On India Star. It's Not Kohli

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team made it ten wins out of ten in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, hammering New Zealand by 70 runs in semi-finals on Wednesday. Rohit couldn’t get his fifty against the Kiwis but his explosive start gave India a strong launchpad in posting a mammoth total of 397/4. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said although he was disappointed to see Rohit missing out on a big knock, the India captain deserves a lot of credit for for his fearless batting.

“India brutally hammered New Zealand. Rohit Sharma was like, there’s a problem with Boult and Santner, let me hit them and sort it out. I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t get a hundred. He could have scored multiple centuries in the tournament or a fifty in the semi-finals. But it’s not a big deal. He still can do it [in the finals]. All credit goes to Rohit Sharma as a captain, as a player and as a batter. He begins the show with a blast and flattens the opposition. Maar maar ke bharta nikaal deta hai Rohit Sharma (He just nullifies the opposition),” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

Rohit made history on Wednesday, becoming the player with the most sixes in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

The 36-year-old was in supreme touch, delivering yet another fine start to India with a short, but impactful innings. He smashed 47 runs in 29 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes. The skipper scored his runs at a strike rate of over 162.

Now, Rohit has scored 51 sixes in the history of the Cricket World Cup, overtaking West Indies legend Chris Gayle, who has scored 49 sixes. At the third spot is Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell with 43 sixes.