India captain Rohit Sharma has revealed his thought process during the last few overs of the thrilling ICC T20 World Cup final against South Africa, in which the Men in Blue defeated the Proteas to end their 11-year wait for a major title. The India captain, who retired from T20Is soon after the victory, was speaking at a function in Dallas. During the match, India were in deep trouble defending 177 runs against an aggressive Proteas batting unit. In the 15th over, Axar Patel was dismantled by Heinrich Klaasen for 24 runs, leaving India with just 30 runs to defend from 30 balls. However, from there on, the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh played some superb pace chokes while also taking important wickets. Pandya grabbed the crucial wicket of Klaassen in the 17th over and a superb catch by Suryakumar Yadav at long-off in the final over secured David Miller’s precious scalp when India had to defend 16 runs from six balls. The Pacers brought India into the match with a death-overs masterclass and the Proteas fell seven runs short of their target.
Talking about his thought process during the last five overs, Rohit said he was completely out of his mind but it was important to focus on the moment so that the team could execute its plan.
“Yes, I was completely dazed. I don’t look too far ahead. It’s very important for me to stay in the moment and focus on what needs to be done right now. It was very important for all of us to stay calm and try to execute the plan,” the Indian skipper said.
The ‘Hitman’ said it was his concentration and composure that helped India beat the Proteas and come from the brink of defeat.
“When we were under immense pressure, when South Africa needed 30 runs from 30 balls, the five overs we bowled showed how calm we were. We just focused on our job and didn’t think much about anything else. We didn’t panic. That was very good from our side,” he added.
Rohit also finished the tournament with a career-best 257 runs from eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156. His highest score was 92, and he became the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with three fifties.
India ended their 11-year drought in the ICC Trophy with a seven-run win over South Africa in the final in Barbados on June 29, courtesy of the Men in Blue’s Virat Kohli (76), Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18). Virat’s superb batting took India to 176/7 in 20 overs, before Bumrah and Pandya took the game from the brink of defeat by restricting the Proteas to 169/8 in 20 overs, even as Klaasen was riding high with 52 runs from 27 balls.
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