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Former T20 captain of Indian Cricket Team Rohit Sharma described lifting the T20 world cup in Barbados last year as the greatest moment of his life. While thinking about the T20 World Cup final he admitted that he was panicking and unwell in the dressing room after the loss of early wickets during Indian team’s batting. In the final played on June 29th 2024 at Barbados, India won the toss and chose to bat but skipper Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav fell cheaply. As a result of this, Indians could only score 34 runs in the powerplay.
While speaking to JioCinema Rohit Sharma said, “I was panicking. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought we’d let them into the game.” He also bestowed praise on his teammates’ contribution in winning the final against the Proteas, saying that the Kohli's innings in that match helped calm nerves in the dressing room. Rohit further said, “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 am 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.”
Virat Kohli’s performance at the 2024 WC final
Virat Kohli struggled to score throughout the T20 World Cup 2024. As an opener he faced difficulties in scoring runs in the tournament in the USA and the West Indies. But he rose to the occasion in Bridgetown during the final, playing a valiant knock of 76 runs facing 59 deliveries. His 72 run stand with Axar Patel, who also played a fluent knock of 47 off 31 balls was very pivotal in changing the course of Indian batting.
After the latter’s dismissal in 14th over, Kohli and Shivam Dube made a partnership of 47 runs for the fifth wicket. Dube added 27 from 16 balls, while Kohli provided much needed impetus in the slog overs as the Indian side concluded their batting posting 176 for 7 on a good surface.
In his interview, ex-skipper Rohit also lauded Axar Patel’s innings, calling it underrated but crucial in achieving that total. He said, “Not many people are talking about Axar’s knock, but it was the game changer. Scoring 47 off 31 at that stage was important.” Rohit also said that he believed that 176 was a strong total, while praising his bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya and led by them through pressure situations. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20 internationals just hours after winning the title and lifting the World Cup trophy.
Known for his calm demeanour and truly let go in celebration, Rohit also shared a rare information about the emotional side of Rahul Dravid, revealing how the former head coach - known for his calm demeanour - was ecstatically emotional and celebrating with joy.
He said, “Rahul bhai wanted to step down after the 2023 World Cup. We had to convince him to stay. There was another World Cup in six months. We told him ‘Let’s give it one more shot, we’ve worked so hard’. He agreed- and I’m sure he feels it was the right decision in the end.” After the T20 World Cup triumph, Rohit also led to its Champions Trophy title in 2025.
