Rohit Sharma Was 'Panicking, Uncomfortable' During T20 World Cup Final. Here's How Virat Kohli Helped
Rohit Sharma etched his name into Indian cricket folklore forever in the summer of 2024, leading Team India to the T20 World Cup title. Rohit was India's top run-scorer in the tournament, and played a vital role in the success. However, in the final against South Africa, Rohit departed for just 9, and India soon collapsed to 34/3. Rohit revealed that he was panicking inside the dressing room at that point, and that spoke of the role that Virat Kohli played to ease the nerves. Rohit, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav got out cheaply in the final, leaving the Indian batting in disarray and the Indian captain worried.
"I was panicking. I wasn't comfortable. I thought we'd let them into the game." Rohit revealed, speaking to JioCinema.
Rohit spoke about how Kohli's experience and knock in the final helped calm the dressing room. Kohli - who had not had a good tournament up to that point - was the top run-scorer of the match, making a vital 59-ball 76.
"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'm sure he (Kohli) 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. After losing those three wickets up front, there were obviously a lot of nerves in the dressing room," Rohit stated.
Kohli had stitched a partnership of 72 runs with all-rounder Axar Patel, helping India stabilize the ship. Axar contributed an aggressive 47 off 31 balls, and Rohit heaped praise on the knock.
"Not many people talk about Axar's knock, but it was the game-changer. Scoring 47 off 31 at that stage was vital. And we needed one player to bat through the innings. Virat did that brilliantly," Rohit stated.
India ended up pulling off an incredible victory from the jaws of defeat. Despite South Africa needing just 30 runs from the last 30 balls, some terrific overs by Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya helped India salvage a win.
"It meant so much to all of us, to that group. We'd experienced the heartbreak of coming so close and falling short. That's why it was special. We planned meticulously. We worked hard every single day, constantly thinking about how to win the World Cup," Rohit said.
The match ended up being both Rohit and Kohli's last in T20 international cricket. Kohli bowed out with a 'Player of the Match' performance.
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