'Rohit Sharma is the only person who deserves to win this World Cup': Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has singled out India captain Rohit Sharma as the most deserving individual to win the World Cup at the moment, following Rohit’s explosive 92 off 41 balls against Australia in their last T20 World Cup Super Eight match.
Hafeez praised Rohit’s selfless approach to batting and his leadership abilities, especially evident in his performance that led India to a 24-run victory, eliminating Australia from the tournament.
Hafeez emphasized Rohit’s selflessness, noting its impact on his transformation from a very good player to a great one.
“It was a Rohit show. We witnessed one of the best innings from a captain,” Hafeez commented, acknowledging Rohit's pivotal innings.

Hafeez credited Rohit for leading from the front with a quality that no one could overlook, attributing Rohit’s greatness to his selflessness. He elaborated on this by stating, “Leading from the front agar aap baat kar rahe hai. Sirf ek cheez, Rohit ki quality se kisi ko saq nahi tha, ek cheez unhone badli. One thing he changed within himself, that was ‘selfless approach’. Jis tarike se unhone evolve kiya iss game ke saath - woh bahut achche player the, woh great zone me chale gaye. Sirf by changing to selfless approach.”

Hafeez pointed out that Rohit’s selfless approach has been a part of his plan for more than a year, making him a standout player in the 2023 ODI World Cup too. He explained: “Yeh jo innings hai, yeh jo khelne ka karika hai, inhone pichle saal se inki planning ki, uske mutabik execution suru ki. If you see the last 50-over World Cup, he was the standout performer for India. Kuch bhi ho jata tha he was playing selfless. The most impressing part of his innings was that he was not thinking about any of his milestones, was hitting the ball accordingly. And at the post match he said, '50s and 100s doesn't matter to me now'. Because he knows what he wants to be, he doesn't want to be having a hundred centuries. He wants to be a champion player, who will always be remembered. Winning ICC trophies.”

Hafeez noted Rohit’s clarity of goals, which is centered not around personal achievements, but winning ICC trophies for India. He stated: “Jab aap apna goal bada kar lete hai toh aapki pedigree badi ho jati hai. Agar Rohit ki baat karung toh India ki leadership deserved karti hai ki yeh World Cup jeete. Jis tarah woh unconditional, champion ke tor pe khele. Koi fark nahi pad raha seam ho raha, nahi ho raha, break ho raha, nahi ho raha. Special effort from Rohit and aap kissi aur ki bhi tareef karenge woh Rohit ke saamne chhoti nazar aayegi. Rohit is the only person at the moment who deserves to win this World Cup for India.”
The former Pakistan captain strongly believes that Rohit Sharma’s leadership and selfless dedication make him the ideal candidate to bring World Cup glory to India. Hafeez's assessment underscores Rohit’s evolution into a player whose focus is now entirely on achieving success for his team, rather than personal accolades.