India ended its 13-year ICC trophy drought on June 29, 2024, by defeating South Africa in the T20 World Cup final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Rohit Sharma, who led the Men in Blue to victory, has spoken up about the emotional toll that resulted in finally holding the trophy.

Since the 2013 Champions Trophy, the Men in Blue had been waiting for an ICC trophy for a long time, with several close calls in various competitions. Despite boasting a world-class squad, the team was defeated in multiple elimination phases, including the 2023 ODI World Cup final. However, on June 29, India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in a thrilling last-over final to win their second T20 World Cup championship, the first since MS Dhoni’s victory in 2007. Rohit, who made his debut in the inaugural edition, saw his path come full circle with this victory.

“Barbados will always be present in my veins. This is the proudest moment in my cricketing career. Lifting the trophy and being crowned ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Champions was unbelievable. I participated in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, which we won under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. And now, to win it again with Rahul Dravid as head coach meant everything to this team. We have witnessed heartbreak. We’ve come quite close. That’s why this one was so unique.”

Every day, we worked hard and planned ahead of time. And when we eventually won, all of our emotions poured out. The younger players, especially those competing in their first World Cup, recognised how difficult it is to win one. Nothing is certain. It was magical,” Rohit stated exclusively on JioHotstar’s special show ‘Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se.’

It was also emotional for me: Rohit Sharma

He recalled the contributions in the final, including those of Virat Kohli’s 76, Axar Patel’s 47, Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance at the death, Suryakumar Yadav’s game-changing catch, and Hardik Pandya’s final over. India, after losing wickets in quick succession, fought back to post 176/7.

Later, with brilliant bowling, they managed to restrict the Proteas seven runs short of the target. Rohit revealed that the head coach Rahul Dravid had planned to step down after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but the team convinced him to stay for till the T20 World Cup.

“Rahul bhai wanted to step down after the 2023 World Cup. But we said, ‘There’s another World Cup in six months. We’ve come this far. Let’s give it one more shot.’ He agreed—and I’m so glad he did. I’m sure even now he feels that he made the right decision. For me personally, it was also emotional. My identity as a cricketer began with this format in the 2007 T20 World Cup. To come full circle and lift the trophy again in 2024—it was just fantastic,” he added.

The title win also saw the exit of Rohit, Virat, and Ravindra Jadeja, who announced their retirement from T20Is after the tournament, marking an end to their illustrious respective careers.