India's T20 World Cup win: Skipper Rohit Sharma reveals Rishabh Pant's clever move in final to shift momentum

By Deepu Mohan | First Published Oct 7, 2024, 10:38 AM IST

Captain Rohit Sharma revealed a pivotal moment in India's T20 World Cup 2024 win against South Africa. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant cleverly used a knee injury timeout to disrupt South Africa's momentum, allowing India to regroup and strategize.

As fans continue to rejoice India's recent triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa, captain Rohit Sharma has shared an intriguing detail about a pivotal moment that contributed to the win. During a guest appearance on a comedy show, Rohit highlighted the clever tactics employed by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, which played a crucial role in disrupting South Africa's momentum.

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Rohit recounted a specific instance when South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls. Just before this crucial phase, there was a brief pause in the game. Pant, who was dealing with a knee injury, cleverly used this opportunity to slow down the pace of the match. "Pant had his knee taped, which helped to break the rhythm of the game. When the game is fast-paced, all a batter wants is for the ball to be bowled quickly, but we needed to disrupt that flow," Rohit explained.

During this pause, Rohit was busy setting the field and strategizing with the bowlers when he noticed Pant suddenly fall to the ground, prompting the physiotherapist to attend to him. While Rohit acknowledged that Pant's actions might not have been the sole reason for their success, he emphasized the importance of this tactical delay.

Following the break, Hardik Pandya took advantage of the situation by dismissing the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen, which shifted the momentum back in India's favour. Although David Miller posed a significant threat in the final overs, the pressure increasingly mounted on South Africa.

Rohit elaborated on the team’s approach during this intense phase, stating, "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."

Rohit's revelation on Team India's blend of strategy and team spirit is something to be talked about for every cricket fan.

Also read: India triumphs over Bangladesh in first T20

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