India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma recently admitted to feeling a wave of panic during the high-pressure 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa. The match, played in front of a packed crowd in Barbados, saw India opting to bat first after winning the toss. India blazed to 23 in 1.3 overs but quickly collapsed to 34/3 by the fifth over.
Rohit was the first to fall, scoring just nine runs off five balls, followed shortly by the dismissals of Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav. In a candid conversation with JioHotstar (as reported by News18), Rohit reflected on his emotions during that critical phase of the match. He said:
“I was panicking. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought we’d let them into the game. Of course, in the back of my mind, I always believed our lower middle order, although it hadn’t batted much during the tournament, had made an impact whenever given the opportunity.”
Luckily for India, the decision to send Axar Patel in at No. 5 turned out to be a masterstroke. The all-rounder played a vital knock, scoring 47 runs off just 31 balls. His partnership with Virat Kohli was instrumental, as the duo stitched together a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket, helping India recover from a shaky start.
“Not many people are talking about Axar’s knock, but it was the game-changer. Scoring 47 off 31 at that stage was vital. And we needed one player to bat through the innings, Virat did that brilliantly,” added Rohit.
“I’m sure Virat felt the same”- Rohit Sharma on Kohli’s 2024 T20 WC final knock
Rohit Sharma felt that Virat Kohli’s three boundaries in the opening over of the 2024 T20 World Cup final gave him the confidence to deliver a match-winning performance. Prior to the final, Kohli had managed just 75 runs across seven innings, averaging below 11 in the tournament.
But in the high-stakes final, he rose to the occasion, scoring a crucial 76 off 59 deliveries, which earned him the Player of the Match award.
“If you hit three boundaries in the first over, then you’ve started well. That’s what every cricketer wants. The experience of playing for India for so many years helps. You can control your emotions, control your thoughts and stay in the moment.”
“I’m sure he was thinking the same: ‘Today is the day I need to be focused.’ Not worrying about what happened before. And he played a brilliant innings, a fantastic partnership with Axar,” said Rohit Sharma (via the aforementioned source).
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