'It's a double-edged sword': Former India opener opines on Rohit Sharma's innings in CWC Final

The Narendra Modi Stadium hosted the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 final on Sunday. Australia defeated India at home in a thrilling match. Travis Head's 137-run innings and Cummins's captaincy ended India's hopes of lifting home the coveted award that they had been chasing for a decade. Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first, restricting Rohit Sharma's squad to 240 runs after they were dismissed in 50 overs. After reaching 241/4 in 43 overs, Australia became victorious in the ICC One-Day International World Cup for the sixth time in the history of the competition.

3 things you need to know

• Australia beat India by 6 wickets with 42 balls left 
• India was unbeaten in the tournament till the finals
• Travis Head was named the Player of the Match

Also Read: Cricket world reacts as Australia win World Cup

Aakash Chopra discusses Rohit Sharma's dismissal in the 2023 World Cup final between India and Australia

According to Aakash Chopra, Rohit Sharma shouldn't be held accountable for his overly aggressive behavior, which resulted in his ejection during India vs Australia in the 2023 World Cup final. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, the Men in Blue set a disappointing 241-run target for the Australians, despite Rohit Sharma getting off to a quick start with a brisk 47 off 31 balls. With seven overs remaining, Australia secured their sixth World Cup title with a decisive six-wicket victory, driven by Travis Head's aggressive 120-ball 137.

In a video posted to his YouTube account, Chopra said that there could be criticism of Rohit Sharma for being fired. At 3:45 in the video, he made a comment acknowledging that there might be concerns about Rohit's aggressive style and subsequent withdrawal from the match. He said: 

Rohit (Sharma) started amazingly well. He is playing differently - a 47-run knock off just 31 deliveries. Rohit Sharma is in a league of his own. However, he had hit a four and a six, and people will question whether another shot was required.

However, the truth is also that you get cut yourself at times by the sword you use to cut. It's a double-edged sword. 80 runs were scored in the first 10 overs. If those 80 runs were not scored, considering the three-and-a-half to four runs per over 10-over passages you had, you would have fallen way behind.

You might have scored 210 instead of 240. So you can see it both ways, but this playing style makes Rohit Sharma who he is. Like it or hate it, this is what you are going to get.

Also Read: Historic! Cummins gets World Cup trophy from Modi

Aakash Chopra pointed out that had Rohit Sharma not attacked the Australian bowlers in the powerplay overs, the Men in Blue may have amassed an even lower score. After 10 overs, Rohit's strong innings helped India reach 80/2, according to Chopra. He did, however, draw attention to the fact that Australia had the upper hand going into the run chase because the side could only muster 160 runs in the next 40 overs.