Indian captain Rohit Sharma has revealed the internal conversations that took place within the Indian players during their close win against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final back in June.
Requiring only 30 runs to win off the last 30 deliveries – six wickets in hand – the Proteas look favorites to win the summit clash before the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh turned the tide, starting with Pandya snapping Heinrich Klaasen.
Expanding on the conversations that took place afterwards on The Great Indian Kapil Show, Rohit said, “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 added.
Pant’s wit sets the stage
Even before Pandya struck though, India had set the stage for a breakthrough by changing the pace of the game and putting the Proteas batters under pressure.
India’s Head Coach Rahul Dravid and team captain Rohit Sharma with players Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah during celebration after India defeated South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final cricket match, at Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados. (AP)
“When South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, just before that, there was a small break. It was here that 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 it was proceeding by quickly and at that moment, all a batter wants is the ball to be bowled quickly,” Rohit explained.
“We had to break the rhythm. As I was setting the field and talking to bowlers, suddenly I saw Pant fallen 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 (he did so), but it could be one of them – Pant Sahab used his wits and things worked out in our favour.”
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India eventually went on to clinch the final by seven runs, ending an 11-year ICC trophy drought.
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