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Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was visibly moved in the dressing room as the Men in Blue secured their place in the final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma was captured wiping away tears following India’s triumph over England in the second semi-final, a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India convincingly outplayed Jos Buttler’s side at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on June 27, sealing a comfortable 68-run victory in the crucial knockout match. This victory propels India to the World Cup final, making them the second team after South Africa to reach the summit clash of the tournament.
Over the past year, the 37-year-old opener has guided India to the finals of the World Test Championship in June 2023, the ODI World Cup, and now the T20 World Cup. This final presents India with an opportunity to end a decade-long ICC trophy drought. Notably, both India and South Africa remain unbeaten throughout the ICC event.
Rohit Sharma was visibly emotional following India’s triumph over England in the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final, especially poignant considering England had eliminated India in the 2022 World Cup semi-final. After the match, Rohit sat quietly outside the Indian dressing room as teammates including Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, and Arshdeep Singh passed by.
“You see the relief there on Rohit Sharma’s face. Sitting on that chair. What must he be thinking? I tell you… he is looking at Bridgetown already. What lies ahead on Saturday… the final?” former India head coach Ravi Shastri said on commentary.
Rohit Sharma played a pivotal role with the bat on a challenging pitch, scoring 57 runs off 39 balls, including nine boundaries and two sixes. His contribution, alongside middle-order batsmen Suryakumar Yadav (47) and Hardik Pandya (23), propelled India to a competitive total of 171 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
The Indian team gained an early advantage when left-arm spinner Axar Patel dismissed Jos Buttler (23) in his first over. England struggled thereafter, losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually being bowled out for 103 runs. Axar Patel was the standout performer, claiming three wickets for 23 runs in his four overs, which earned him the prestigious “Player of the Match” award.
Axar Patel – I Had To Bowl In The Powerplay
In his post-match comments, Axar Patel highlighted his strategy of relying on slower deliveries to adapt to the sluggish pitch conditions. He commended the Indian batsmen for their contributions, which he credited for enabling the team to achieve a competitive total in the game.
“I have bowled in the powerplay in the past, so I had to bowl in the powerplay, that was the plan. The wicket was stopping and keeping low, so tried to bowl in the right areas. The wicket was slow, so I tried to bowl slower in this match, it worked for me. Wouldn’t have worked had I bowled quicker, would have been easier for their batters. Our batters told us that the wicket wasn’t easy, so 160 was a good total according to us,” Axar Patel said.
