‘I was completely blank’: Rohit opens up on end overs of T20 WC final

Dallas [US], July 16: Indian skipper opened up on his thought process during the final few overs of the thrilling ICC T20 World Cup final against South Africa, in which Men in Blue defeated Proteas to end their 11-year wait for a major title.

The Indian skipper, who retired from T20Is just after the victory, was speaking at an event in Dallas. During the game, India was in a huge trouble while defending 177 against a highly-attacking Proteas batting unit. The 15th over bowled by Axar Patel saw him being dismantled by Heinrich Klaasen and smashed for 24 runs, leaving India with just 30 runs to defend in 30 balls. But from then on, the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh unleashed a brilliant pace-choke, while also taking crucial wickets. Pandya secured the crucial wicket of Klaasen in the 17th over, while a fine catch from Suryakumar Yadav at long-off in the final over saw him get the prized scalp of David Miller, when India needed to defend 16 runs in six balls. Pacers brought India into the game with a death-over masterclass and Protwas was left seven runs short of the target.

Speaking about his thought process during these last five overs, Rohit said that he was completely blank but it was important for him to stay in the moment so that the team could execute their plans.

“Yes, I was completely blank. I don’t look too far ahead. It’s very important for me to stay in the moment and focus on the job at hand. It was very important for all of us to stay calm and try to execute our plans,” said the Indian skipper.

Further speaking, the ‘Hitman’ said that being focused and staying calm helped India overcome Proteas and pull out a win from the jaws of defeat.

“When we were under immense pressure when South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, the five overs that we bowled showed how calm we were. We just focused on our job, not thinking much about anything else. We did not panic; that was very good from our side,” he added.

Rohit also ended the tournament with a career-best performance with the bat with 257 runs in eight games at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of over 156. His best score was 92 and scored three half-centuries in the competition to become the second-highest run-getter.

India ended their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought as Virat Kohli (76), Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) starred in Men in Blue’s seven-run win over South Africa in the final at Barbados on June 29. Virat’s masterclass knock helped India reach 176/7 in 20 overs, while Bumrah and Pandya unleashed a pace choke on Proteas, who were once riding on the high of a 27-ball 52 by Klaasen, snatching the match from a losing position to restrict Proteas to 169/8 in their 20 overs.