"Words Don't Matter...": Ex-Pakistan Player Slams Rohit Sharma After India's Exit From T20 World Cup

India's exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup has invited a lot of criticism on their performance and the team selection. After getting thrashed by England in the semi-final clash by 10 wickets on Thursday, the Rohit Sharma-led side bowed out of the tournament. Following their defeat, many questions on Rohit Sharma's captaincy and form have been raised as the skipper failed to deliver a strong performance in the World Cup. The opening batter could only manage 116 runs in 6 matches.

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt slammed Rohit over his fitness and stated that he should focus on his game to set a good example for the rest of the players in the team.

"There is no better player than Rohit Sharma. But fitness is also a very important aspect. When you command the team and expect 100 percent from them but you, yourself are slow then players must be discussing and complaining about you behind your back. You keep getting out to big shots in the air and advise others to play ground strokes and not play risky shots. Words don't matter, you have to show through your actions," said Butt on his YouTube channel.

"I think this is something (fitness) which is badly missing in their team. The youngsters coming in are outstanding cricketers but not all of them have outstanding fitness. On the other side, look at England players, they're super fit. They don't just hit sixes but run fast between the wickets too. Look at their fielding, you will see the difference," he added.

Coming to the semi-final clash, England openers Jos Buttler (80*) and Alex Hales (86*) made a mockery of the 169-run target as they took their side across the line in just 16 overs and 10 wickets in hand. 

Put to bat first, the Rohit Sharma-led side lost three wickets in 12 overs, with only 75 runs on the board. Later, Hardik Pandya, along with Virat Kohli, took charge and completely changed the momentum of the game. Pandya smashed 63 runs off 33 balls and Kohli scored 50 off 40 balls, to take the team's score to 168/6 in 20 overs. 

Later, No Indian bowler was spared by the English openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales as the target of 169 runs was chased in just 16 overs. For England, Chris Jordan was the star bowler as he scalped three wickets while Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid took one wicket each.

England will now be facing Pakistan in the final clash of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Topics mentioned in this article

England Cricket Team India Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Salman Butt ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Cricket