“I couldn’t feel my legs,” Rohit Sharma nervous could not sleep before the final of the World Cup T20 2024

On June 29, 2024, Barbados became the stage for one of Indian cricket’s most unforgettable chapters. Exactly a year later, on JioHotstar’s Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se, Rohit Sharma, the architect of India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, relived the emotional rollercoaster that led to lifting the coveted trophy. The team that lost the World Cup final 2023 just six months ago earned the choker tag. And captain Rohit was nervous. He could not sleep the night before the final. The weight of a 13-year drought since India’s last T20 World Cup win in 2007 bore down on him.

“A night before the final, I didn’t sleep at all, I couldn’t feel my legs. I was only thinking about the World Cup. I was nervous and couldn’t feel my legs. Did I feel nerves? Of course. I just don’t show it—but inside, it was a lot. 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,” Rohit Sharma confessed on JioHotstar’s Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se.

Nerve test

The final was a test of nerves. South Africa’s bowlers struck early, reducing India to a precarious 34/3. Rohit Sharma fell for 9, Rishabh Pant was out on a duck, and Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for 3. Rohit, back in the hut, was panicking. The dressing room was tense with the ghosts of past failures lurking.

But then came the rescue act. Virat Kohli, whose highest score in the T20 World Cup 2024 was just 34-ball 37 against Bangladesh, anchored the innings with a masterful 76. He stitched a vital 72-run stand with Axar Patel, whose 47 off 31 balls was the unsung game-changer. Their contributions pushed India to a defendable 169/8.

“Not many people are talking about Axar’s knock, but that innings was incredibly crucial. Virat did the job perfectly, allowing Shivam, Axar, and Hardik to play with freedom,” Rohit reminisced.

The magical moment of the T20 World Cup

However, a total of 169 points was never going to be safe against power strikers in South Africa. Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaan and David Miller all had the chance to finish the match for South Africa. But while the Proteas were getting closer to the lifting of their first T20 World Cup trophy, Suryakumar Yadav produced a moment of magic on the ground. With South Africa needing 16 points in the final, Sky took an acrobatic taking of the Lofted shot from Klaasen which was intended for six. It changed the game.

“Everyone’s heart was in their mouths. I asked him, and he said, “I think I caught him. The Zoom camera showed that the rope was not moving. Rohit remembers.

While the team raised the trophy, the emotions overwhelmed. The young players, tasting the glory of the World Cup for the first time, achieved its weight. India won the T20 World Cup after 17 years and ended its ICC Jinx Trophy after 11 years.

“We saw Heartbreak. We came so close. This is why this one was so special, ” Rohit Sharma said.