During the final five overs of the Twenty20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados last month, Rohit Sharma talked candidly about the mindset of the Indian squad. South Africa was leading the tournament.
After Heinrich Klaasen dismissed Axar Patel for 24 runs in the 15th over, South Africa was well on their way to victory in an exciting final. The Proteas needed just 30 runs from the final five overs to reach their first-ever World Cup goal of 177. As the innings reached the final five overs, Miller was unbeaten at 14 off seven balls and Klaasen was batting on 49 off 22 balls. With two of the most potent batsmen in T20 cricket at the crease and six wickets in the bank, South Africa was the clear favourite.
In the face of Klaasen’s assault, India captain Rohit acknowledged that he was losing his mind. He did, however, note that he remained in the moment and urged his colleagues to maintain their poise, even if their hopes of winning the championship were fading with each victory.
Yes, I was totally lost. I keep my eyes on the present. For me, it’s critical to remain present and concentrate on the task at hand. At a Dallas event, Rohit stated, “It was crucial for all of us to maintain our composure and work towards completing our plans.
The magical hitter, who emerged as the tournament’s second-highest run scorer, praised his team for maintaining composure under duress and concentrating on the task at hand.
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“The five overs we bowled demonstrated our composure under extreme circumstances when South Africa required 30 runs off 30 balls. We paid little attention to anything else other than our work. That was excellent on our end; we didn’t panic,” the 37-year-old said.
Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya bowled brilliantly in the final five overs, conceding just 22 runs to win by a seven-run margin while maintaining composure. India’s 11-year drought for an ICC title came to an end with this.