Rohit Sharma reveals how India demanded the revenge of Australia to “ruin November 19”

Former India T20I skipper Rohit Sharma revealed how the team plotted revenge against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024 for “ruining their November 19”. The Hitman was referring to the heartbreaking loss handed by Cummins and co. in the ODI World Cup final in 2023. India not only ensured that they knocked Australia out of the T20 WC but also went on to lift the trophy for the second time.

How Rohit and co plotted India’s revenge against Australia

speaking on JioHotstar, Rohit admitted that although India did not want to revisit the past, the November 19 loss was very much alive in the heads of all the players. He revealed that the team wanted to return a “gift” to Australia for ruining their November 19 and they did just that. The Men in Blue ended up beating Australia by 24 runs in the Super 8 clash and booked their berth in the semi-finals of the T20 WC.

“Yes, you want to do well against them. But it is never going to be about the past. That thing is in the back of the mind — they ruined our 19th November. Not just ours, but the whole country’s. So, we should give them a good gift as well,” Rohit Sharma said.

In that game, Rohit had silenced critics with his 92-run mark that allowed India to amass a mammoth 205-run total. He was named the Player of the Match for his knock that was studded with seven fours and 8 sixes. Speaking about his knock against Australia, Sharma revealed that he intended to attack every Australian bowler, adding that he had his own plans on dealing with Mitchell Starc.

“My plan was to attack everyone. I’ve played against Starc for so many years, so I had my own plans. The Australians are very smart. I felt Starc wasn’t trying to get me out. When a bowler starts bowling wide and keeping the ball away, he’s just looking to survive, to finish his over. For me, half the battle is won there. That knock was very special to me,” Rohit added.