New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) It’s already a year since India beat South Africa by seven runs to win the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Rohit Sharma, who captained the team to championship glory in Barbados, said it was a surreal feeling to be crowned as winners of the glittering silverware.

As a youngster, Rohit was a member of the team winning 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. But after winning 2013 Champions Trophy, India had their so close yet so far moments of winning titles till that glorious day in Barbados arrived, where Rohit & Co broke the trophy drought in style in an unbeaten campaign.

“Barbados will forever be in my veins. This is the proudest moment of my cricketing career. To lift that trophy, to be crowned ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Champions—it was surreal. I played in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and we won under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. And now, to win it again with Rahul Dravid as head coach—it meant everything to this group.

“We’ve seen heartbreak. We’ve come so close. That’s why this one was so special. We worked and planned relentlessly—every day. And when we finally won, all the emotions came pouring out. The younger players, especially those playing their first World Cup, realised how hard it is to win one. Nothing can be taken for granted. It was magical,” said Rohit to JioHotstar.

What was going through his mind before taking the field for the final, which also became his last game for India in T20Is after the championship glory was achieved? Rohit admitted that he didn’t sleep well in the night before the final and nervous energy led to him waking up much earlier than expected.

“Thirteen years is a long time. Most people don’t even have a 13-year career. So, to wait that long to win a World Cup… the last one I won was in 2007. For me, it couldn’t have gotten any bigger than this. I didn’t sleep the whole night. I was only thinking about the World Cup. I was nervous. I couldn’t feel my legs. Did I feel nerves? Of course.

“I just don’t show it—but inside, it was a lot. We were supposed to leave around 8:30 or 9 in the morning. But I woke up at 7. From my room, I could see the ground and just kept watching it. I remember thinking—‘In two hours, I’ll be there. And in four hours, the result will be out. Either the Cup will be here or it won’t.”

With the bat, India posted 176/7, thanks to Virat Kohli’s crucial 76 and his 72-run partnership with Axar Patel in the title clash. “If you hit three boundaries in the first over, then obviously, you’ve started off well. And that’s exactly what every cricketer wants—it helps settle the nerves. The experience of playing for India over so many years also helps in those moments.

“You learn to control your emotions, manage your thoughts, and stay in the present. I’m sure even he (Virat Kohli) was thinking, ‘Today is the day—I need to stay focused and not worry about what happened in the past.’ He played a brilliant knock and stitched a crucial partnership with Axar Patel,” recalled Rohit.

He signed off by admitting to panicking over losing early wickets, but expressed that he had faith in the lower order to come good. “When we lost those three wickets up front, there were definitely nerves inside the dressing room. I was panicking—I wasn’t comfortable. I remember thinking, ‘We’ve let them into the game.’ But in the back of my mind, I always had belief in our lower middle order—positions 5, 6, 7, and 8.

“They hadn’t batted much in the tournament, but whenever they got the opportunity, they made it count. And that confidence in them kept me going. Not many people are talking about Axar’s knock, but that innings was a real game-changer. To score 47 off 31 balls at that stage was incredibly crucial.

“We needed someone to bat through the innings, and Virat did that job perfectly. It was really important for someone to anchor the innings, and he did it brilliantly. That allowed Shivam, Axar, and Hardik to come in and play their roles with freedom—and that’s exactly what they did,” concluded Rohit.

–IANS

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