Historic explosion leaves Australia on the brink at T20 World Cup

One of the most devastating innings of all-time saw all sorts of records fall and left Australia’s World Cup hopes in tatters.

Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign is in tatters after Indian captain Rohit Sharma appeared to obliterate our hopes of securing a spot in the semifinals.

The Aussies entered the Super Eights match at St Lucia early Tuesday morning (AEST) likely needing a win to progress in the tournament after a shock defeat against Afghanistan.

But Rohit’s historic knock of 92 from 41 deliveries - including eight sixes and seven fours - all but extinguished Australia’s chances as India made 5/205.

There was a glimmer of hope as the reigning Test and ODI world champions reached 2/116 from 11 overs but the wheels fell off from that point as the Aussies finished 25 runs short at 7/181.

Australia will exit the tournament if Afghanistan defeats Bangladesh tomorrow - or if Bangladesh wins by a big margin. Its only hope of meeting South Africa in the final four is if Bangladesh can pull off a narrow victory.

Rohit’s destruction - which secured India a semifinal spot against England in Guyana - came after Australia had elected to bowl and enjoyed the perfect start.

Virat Kohli continued his miserable tournament at opener by scoring a five-ball duck - miscuing an attempt to hit Josh Hazlewood deep and being caught by Tim David.

But instead of consolidating at 1/6 from two overs, Rohit decided not to waste what has been the most batter-friendly pitch at a low-scoring World Cup and go bang.

The next four balls of the innings went 6-6-4-6 as the Indian skipper took 29 runs from the most expensive over of Mitchell Starc’s T20 international career.

Rohit went all-out attack as both Pat Cummins’ and Adam Zampa’s first balls of the innings were hit for six.

Hazlewood played a lone hand in attempting to keep the Aussies in the game. At the seven-over mark he was 1/10 from three. Starc, Cummins and Zampa were a combined 0/66 from four and Rohit was tearing up the record books.

He reached his 50 from just 19 balls - the fastest of this tournament. Staggeringly, it came while only one run - a single to Rishabh Pant - came from the other end.

India's captain Rohit Sharma hit a T20 World Cup record eight sixes in his innings. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP

After spanking Marcus Stoinis for back to back maximums Rohit was 75 not out, having sent eight of the 28 deliveries he’d faced over the fence.

Yuvraj Singh’s longstanding mark of the most sixes in a men’s T20 World Cup innings fell as Rohit became the first man to hit 200 sixes in T20 internationals.

Pant miscued a Stoinis delivery to fall for 15 from 14 balls but India still reached 2/114 at the halfway point.

Australia gave the ball back to Starc after the break and he took a measure of revenge by bowling Sharma with an around-the-wicket yorker.

It opened the possibility of the Aussies fighting their way back into the game and India was beginning to wobble when Starc nicked Suryakumar (31 from 16 balls) off to keeper Matthew Wade.

The Aussie opening bowler finished with 2/45 from his four - a fine recovery given the damage Rohit did early on.

Zampa (0/41 from four overs) wrapped up a pretty miserable day with the ball by watching Marsh drop Hardik Pandya.

When Hazlewood (1/14 from four) completed a standout display with another tidy over, suddenly a sub-200 total seemed possible.

But Marsh’s fumble proved costly as Hardik hit back to back sixes off Stoinis (2/56 from four) and Ravi Jadeja also sent Cummins (0/48 from four) soaring to put the Indians in a powerful position at the change of innings.

“It felt like a dream, he batted beautifully,” Suryakumar said of Rohit’s knock. “We talked about what brand we want to play and he showed us the way.”

Mitchell Starc of Australia reacts after being hit for a six by Rohit Sharma. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

When David Warner lost his wicket in the first over of Australia’s innings, it appeared a done deal.

But Marsh and Travis Head began showing the quality of the pitch and finding the boundary with ease.

They managed 15 runs from Jasprit Bumrah’s first two overs - more runs than he’d conceded in a full quota in most matches this tournament - and blasted everyone else.

At the end of the powerplay Australia was 1/65 - bettering India’s effort of 1/60 - and suddenly dreaming of a famous victory that had appeared impossible while Rohit was batting.

The Aussies were right on pace at 1/83 from eight overs but Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion turned the match back in India’s favour.

He conceded just eight runs from his first two overs and crucially removed Marsh for 37 from 28 balls. The Aussie skipper creamed a pull-sweep that looked headed for the crowd but was disconsolate as Axar Patel plucked a one-handed catch on the fence.

Head kept motoring along and reached his half century from 24 deliveries as Australia made the turn at 2/99.

Batting at four, Glenn Maxwell started in scorching fashion, smacking 15 runs from his first five balls.

But Kuldeep (2/24 from four) kept the pressure on and made a mess of Maxwell’s stumps with the first ball of the 13th over to strike a major blow to Australia’s hopes.

Australia’s batting depth was looking questionable when Stoinis (two from four balls) came and went and Tim David made a pedestrian start to his innings.

It put all the pressure on Head (76 from 43) and it proved too much when Bumrah re-entered the attack and fooled him with a slower ball.

The game was basically gone with Australia needing 53 runs from the last three overs and over when Wade (one from two balls) also had no impact.

David (15 from 11 balls) finally got one away off Arshdeep Singh in the 18th over but lost his wicket the very next ball and from there it was a victory lap for India.

Originally published as Historic explosion leaves Australia on the brink at T20 World Cup