Rohit Sharma on Kapil Sharma’s show© X (Twitter)
The T20 World Cup 2024 final is still fresh in the minds of fans. Be it Suryakumar Yadav‘s catch, pacers’ exemplary bowling in the death over or Virat Kohli‘s resolute half-century, there are many factors that helped India beat South Africa in the title-decider. However, captain Rohit Sharma has now revealed another factor that played a big role in India’s win. During his appearance on Kapil Sharma’s comedy show, Rohit revealed that wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant thought of a brilliant ploy to slow down things in the middle, helping India disrupt South Africa’s rhythm which turned tide in India’s favour.
“When South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, just before that, there was a small break. Pant used his intelligence to pause the game – he had a knee injury, so he had his knee taped, which helped slow down the game – because the game was fast-paced, and at that moment, all a batter wants is the ball to be bowled quickly. But we had to break the rhythm. As I was setting the field and talking to bowlers, suddenly I saw Pant fall on the ground. The physiotherapist had arrived and was taping his knee. Klassen was waiting for the match to start again. I am not saying it’s the only reason, but it could be one of them – Pant Sahab used his smarts and things worked out in our favour,” he said on the show.
Captain Rohit Sharma revealed the untold story of Rishabh Pant when India needed to defend 30 runs in 30 balls. Two Brothers !
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— (@IamHydro45_) October 5, 2024
After the break, Hardik Pandya dismissed the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen, paving the way for the Indian team to pull themselves back in the driving seat. Though David Miller also threatened to take the title away from the team, the pressure was on South Africa in the last 2-3 overs, and India capitalised on the situation.
“That is what happened. Hardik dismissed Klaasen in that over, and from then onwards, pressure started to build on South Africa. Then all the boys gathered and started to sledge their batters, details of which I can’t disclose here, but it was essential because we had to win at any cost. To win that, we were willing to take a few fines. That is why I told the boys to say whatever they felt like; we would handle the umpires and referees later,” he explained.
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