Player Interviews: How Rohit Sharma Credited Virat Kohli for the 2024 T20 World Cup Win?

Two legends of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, were at the heart of this emotional victory. In a recent interview, Rohit Sharma shared how special the win was and gave credit to Kohli for making things easier in the final. He praised Virat’s calm presence and match-winning knock, calling it the turning point. Rohit said this win was not just about cricket, but about their years of effort, pain, and dreams coming true on the world stage.

How Virat Kohli and Axar Patel Kept India Alive in the 2024 T20 World Cup Final?

Getting to a stage where India finally ended their long wait for an ICC trophy was a moment filled with pride, relief, and emotion. On 29 June 2024, India won the T20 World Cup, breaking the 11-year drought in global tournaments. But the final against South Africa was anything but easy, especially after India collapsed to 34 for 3 in the powerplay. Captain Rohit Sharma, who had been the team’s most consistent batter in the tournament, was dismissed early. With Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav also departing quickly, the Indian innings was in serious trouble. On this, Rohit told:

I was panicking. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought we’d let them into the game. 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.

Watching the collapse unfold, Rohit felt the tension mount in the dressing room. He admitted later that doubts began to creep in about whether India had let the game slip away too early. Just when India needed a calm head, Virat Kohli rose to the occasion. Although he hadn’t had a great tournament leading up to the final, Kohli played with control and focus when the pressure was at its peak. He held one end, absorbed the pressure, and slowly built his innings.

Kohli finished with a crucial 76 runs off 59 balls, guiding India out of danger. At the other end, Axar Patel played a fearless knock that proved just as important. He smashed 47 off 31 deliveries and partnered with Kohli to add 72 valuable runs for the fourth wicket. This stand brought India back into the game and gave them a chance to post a competitive score. India’s total didn’t look unbeatable, and South Africa seemed on track during the chase. He further added:

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. 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.

With only 30 runs needed from the last 30 balls, things looked bleak. But Indian bowlers responded brilliantly under pressure. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya delivered a series of tight overs and helped India seal a thrilling win in the final few moments. The victory was a huge reward for the years of heartbreak and near misses. It also marked the end of an era, as both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20 internationals after the final.

What Does Barbados Mean to Rohit Sharma After the 2024 T20 World Cup Triumph?

The ground where India lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy was Kensington Oval in Barbados and will always remain special for Rohit Sharma and every Indian cricket fan. After a long wait of 17 years, India finally brought an ICC trophy home, going unbeaten through the entire tournament. In a recent episode of “Champions Wali Feeling Phir Se” on JioCinema, Rohit Sharma relived the emotional memories of that victory and the unforgettable campaign.

For Rohit, Barbados is more than just a venue and it’s now a part of his cricketing soul. He remembered the pitch, the pressure, and the magical atmosphere. The Indian team entered the tournament with confidence and backed it up with performance, not losing a single game. One of the most memorable matches came against Pakistan. In a low-scoring thriller, India defended a modest total of 119 runs. He said:

That pitch, that atmosphere… Barbados will always be in my veins! The atmosphere was hot two days before the match. Fans all around, security, it felt like a festival. 42 runs on that pitch meant 70 runs! It was not just a match, it was a victory of passion.

Kohli, Rohit, and Axar fell early, but Rishabh Pant stepped up with a valuable 42 off 31 balls. Rohit joked that on that pitch, those 42 runs were equivalent to 70. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah was the star once again, taking 3 wickets for just 14 runs and rightfully earning the Player of the Match award. Rohit called Bumrah a “weapon” and praised his ability to pick wickets and keep the run rate in check.

Was Rohit Sharma Right to Hand Axar Patel the 15th Over in the Final?

In the intense game between India and South Africa, the 2024 T20 World Cup Final played at Kensington Oval in Barbados became a true test of nerves for both teams. India had posted a competitive score of 176 for 7 while batting first, and South Africa were chasing 177 to win their maiden T20 title. The match was hanging in the balance when Rohit Sharma, then Indian captain, made a bold decision that drew a lot of attention, handing the ball to Axar Patel for the 15th over.

At that moment, South Africa were 123 for 4 and Heinrich Klaasen was starting to look dangerous. Axar Patel had already bowled well in his earlier spell and had dismissed Tristan Stubbs, which probably influenced Rohit’s decision. Moreover, Rohit later explained that the end Axar bowled from was against the wind and the longer boundary made it difficult for the batters to clear the ropes. Rohit wanted to keep his fast bowlers fresh and attacking from the other end. On this, Rohit said:

I still think it was the right call, because what happened with Axar could have happened to any other bowler too. See, I was hoping that at least one ball would go straight. It didn’t happen, that’s a different matter. But I was hoping — that’s why I asked Axar to bowl from that end, because I had to protect that end too. And from that end, I probably had to bring on the fast bowlers against Klaasen, because that side of the ground was bigger and it was against the wind.

Unfortunately, the plan didn’t work as expected. Klaasen went after Axar from the first delivery. He smashed a four down the ground and followed it up with a massive 99-metre six over the roof. He then cleared long-on with another six and drove a boundary through wide long-off. Axar ended up conceding 24 runs in that over, which gave South Africa a big momentum boost. At the end of the 15th over, the Proteas were 147 for 4 and needed just 30 runs from the last 30 balls, a situation heavily in their favour. He further added:

So all these things are always running in your mind. You can’t have just one bowler bowl from the same end. Someone has to bowl from the challenging side, and that had to be Axar because he was in great form, Man of the Match in the previous game. He is my wicket-taker in the middle overs against right-handed batters. It’s a great match-up, he got Tristan Stubbs bowled, so why not? He could get Klaasen out, too. Had he (Klaasen) mistimed the shot, we would have been very off the decision to let Axar bowl. As a captain your decision can’t be right every time.

However, Rohit Sharma stood by his decision in the post-match interview. He told JioCinema that it was a tactical move based on pitch conditions and Axar’s recent form. Rohit felt that Klaasen could have mistimed a shot with the wind and long boundary in play, and any bowler could have gone for runs in that situation. He also emphasized that not every captain’s decision goes right every time, and that unpredictability is part of the game’s charm.

What followed after Axar’s over, though, turned the match. Indian bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya bowled tight overs at the death and brought India back into the game. They choked the South African batters under pressure and helped India defend the target, winning the final by a narrow margin and lifting the ICC trophy after 17 long years.