Rohit Sharma. (Source – Getty Images)
Rohit Sharma opened up on the Indian team’s mindset in the last five overs as South Africa were going great guns in last month’s T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados.
In a riveting final, South Africa were cruising towards a win after Heinrich Klaasen took Axar Patel for 24 runs in the 15th over. In pursuit of a target of 177 to win their first-ever World Cup, the Proteas needed a mere 30 runs off the last five overs. Klaasen was batting on 49 off 22 balls, while Miller was unbeaten on 14 off seven, as the innings proceeded to the last five overs. South Africa were the overwhelming favourites, having six wickets in the bank and two of the most dangerous batters in T20 cricket at the crease.
India captain Rohit admitted that he was going blank amid Klaasen’s onslaught. However, he mentioned that he stayed in the present and asked his teammates to keep their composure, even as their title aspirations were dwindling with each passing over.
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“Yes, I was completely blank. I don’t look too far ahead. It’s very important for me to stay in the moment and focus on the job at hand. It was very important for all of us to stay calm and try to execute out plans,” Rohit said at an event in Dallas.
The talismanic batter, who finished as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, lauded his team for not panicking under pressure and focussing on the job at hand.
“When we were under immense pressure when South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, the five overs that we bowled showed how calm we were. We just focused on our job, not thinking much about anything else. We didn’t panic; that was very good from our side,” the 37-year-old stated.
Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah held their nerves and bowled remarkably in the last five overs to concede just 22 runs to win by a seven-run margin. This ended India’s 11-year-long wait for an ICC title.
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