3 Times Rohit Sharma stood between India and defeat at ICC events

For nearly two decades, Rohit Sharma has been the bedrock of Indian cricket. His elegant strokeplay, ability to dominate without reckless risk, and calm leadership have made him one of the finest ODI batters of all time. While fans often recall his double hundreds in ODIs and his centuries in T20Is, there are a few of his knocks that, though they do not get spoken of in the same vein, kept India alive when defeat seemed inevitable.

Here are three occasions when Rohit’s brilliance stood between India and heartbreak at ICC events.

#1 India vs Pakistan, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2007 Final

Most of the Indian fans remember the final of the inaugural edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against Pakistan for Gautam Gambhir's 75 and Irfan Pathan's three-wicket haul. Gambhir's 54-ball knock laid the foundation for a competitive total, and Irfan's 3/16 helped India in their defence of the target. But both of their contributions might have gone in vain, if it wasn't for Rohit Sharma.

Coming into bat at No. 6, Rohit scored a quick-fire 30 off just 16 balls. He hammered two fours and a six at the death and added momentum to India's lurching innings. On a day when most of India's power-hitters failed to execute, Rohit stood firm and batted at a strike rate of 187.50 to ensure India had enough on the board.

#2 India vs New Zealand, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final

When India limited New Zealand to 251 in the final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai, it didn't seem a big enough total to test them. Rohit began emphatically, leading from the front and took the attack to the Kiwis.

On a wicket which gripped and turned and made run-scoring look extremely difficult, Rohit raced to 76 off 83 balls, belting seven fours and three sixes. His act of aggression at the front proved to be the difference, as when India lost wickets in clusters, they were unfazed by the asking rate.

The New Zealand spinners got a fair amount of turn off the wicket, but Rohit's knock allowed the middle order to take time and settle in without having to worry about the scoreboard pressure as India registered a hard-fought four-wicket win with six balls to spare.

#3 India vs Australia, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Super Eight

This one has to be the finest counterattacking knock played by Rohit Sharma in his T20I career. India were up against their nemesis Australia in Gros Islet, and Rohit knew he needed to score at the rate of knots to get his side to a match-winning total.

He unleashed his beast mode and took down Australia's famed bowling attack. He scored a 41-ball 92, laced with seven fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 224.39. With little support from the other end, Rohit took matters into his own hands and went on a boundary-hitting spree. It was primarily due to his innings that India finished with 205.

India had a major scare when Travis Head cut loose, scoring 76 off 43, threatening to take the game away. But the Men in Blue had enough runs on the board because of Rohit's blazing innings, and they romped home by 24 runs.