Rohit Sharma, who bid farewell to T20Is following India’s historic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 title win, has opened up about the key player that paved the way for India’s triumph over South Africa in the final. In a heartfelt interaction with Star Sports, the Indian skipper lauded his team’s grit and composure under pressure, singling out one particular player for his defining role. While the skipper handed Virat Kohli praise, it was Axar Patel that was deemed the ‘game changer’ in the tense final. India ended an 11-year wait for an ICC title by defeating South Africa in a tense final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, on June 29, 2024. The Men in Blue were crowned T20 world champions for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2007, and it marked their first ICC trophy overall since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Batting first in a high-stakes contest, India posted 176/7, thanks to a composed knock from Kohli and a crucial counterattack by Axar Patel in the middle overs. South Africa, despite a strong start and being favourites heading into the death overs, fell just short in a nerve-wracking chase, finishing on 169/8. Reflecting on the final, Rohit said, “Not many people are talking about his (Axar’s) knock. But, that knock was a game changer. To get 47 off 31 in that time was very very crucial.”
Axar’s 47 off 31 balls, including timely boundaries when India were wobbling, shifted the momentum in India’s favour. His partnership with Kohli stabilised the innings before Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube added finishing touches. Sharma also hailed Kohli for anchoring the innings, saying, “And then obviously we needed one guy to stick around. Virat did that job perfectly. Batted the entire innings throughout, which was really good, because Shivam, Axar, Hardik, they can come and play their role.”
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Kohli’s 76 from 59 balls, a crucial display in the most important game earned him the Player of the Match. The bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, then held their nerve in the death overs to seal a long-awaited ICC title and end India’s trophy drought in global tournaments.
