Rohit Sharma's Bold Play To Pacers' Form: Decoding India's Perfect Cricket World Cup 2023 Run

With apologies to the pacers wreaking havoc, spinners baring their fangs, and batters bossing around, it would be fair to say that the Indian juggernaut in this World Cup is not just about explosive performances on the field. The great Wasim Akram thinks it would take an "extraordinary effort" to halt India's charge but reminded about their ICC title drought every step of the way, skipper Rohit Sharma and his ambitious colleagues very well know that their job is only half done. India became the first team to reach the World Cup semifinals with a 302-run rout of Sri Lanka on Thursday night, their seventh win on the trot. They are in the middle of a dream run but Rohit and his men will eventually be judged on their performances in the knock-out stages, their achilles heel over the past decade.

Having said that, it is worth dissecting the perfect run of the team which is ticking all the boxes and is set to top the league stage for the second World Cup in a row.

Rohit redefines top-order approach

Often criticised for their conservative approach in the powerplay, India have redefined their top-order approach with skipper Rohit Sharma being primarily responsible for the team's bold play in the first 10 overs.

Rohit has batted at a strike rate of 119.64, which is the highest among the top-run getters in the tournament. He is among the top-five in that list, aggregating 402 runs at an average of 57.42.

The statistics, however, don't reveal the whole picture. His high-risk approach upfront has allowed the likes of Shubman Gill (97 strike rate) and Virat Kohli (89.47) to build their innings at their own pace.

As promised before the World Cup, Rohit will continue to take risks in the coming matches but trust him to alter his