Team India captain Rohit Sharma was in a relaxed mood, especially in the second half of Indian batting innings during their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. Centuries by Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer powered the hosts to 397 for 4 after skipper Rohit had won the toss and elected to bat first.
Just before Iyer completed his century, captain Rohit was caught on the camera mimicking the celebration style of his Mumbai and India teammate. Iyer notched up back-to-back centuries in the World Cup 2023 after his ton against the Netherlands in the last match.
Rohit Sharma’s mimicking of Iyer’s celebration style soon went viral on social media. India went on to win the match by 70 runs after Mohammad Shami’s 7 wickets to bundle out the Black Caps for 327 runs.
WATCH Rohit Sharma mimicking Shreyas Iyer’s celebration style HERE…
Rohit Imitating Shreyas’s walk after his century___#INDvsNZ #Shreyas #RohitSharma_ pic.twitter.com/EtAovZbl0Y
— CrowdVerdict (@CrowdVerdict) November 15, 2023
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has scored joint second most consecutive 50-plus scores in World Cups – four – with Sachin Tendulkar doing it twice in 1996 and 2003 and Navjot Singh Sidhu in 1987. The most is five times by Virat Kohli in 2019.
“Rohit sets the template, gives us the starts where we have to just go and carry forward from the base he gives. He is a fearless captain. You can see that in his body language and it’s kind of infectious, rubs off on all the players,” Iyer said about skipper Rohit Sharma.
Iyer has got the backing of the Indian team management after a slow start in the World Cup 2023. “It’s pivotal, coming from the captain and coach. I didn’t have a great start to the World Cup. They told me not to worry about the outside noise, we are backing you, so you just got to go out there and express yourself,” the Indian batter said.
“To be honest in pressure situations you tend to get nervous but at the same time it’s also fun playing in front of so many people and if you perform they lift you up,” Iyer said about handling pressure.