India broke the ICC trophy drought in 2024 when they won the T20 World Cup after 13 years. However, the game was not smooth sailing against South Africa. Both teams going into the game were unbeaten and fought tooth and nail in Barbados. India did manage to lose three early wickets in the powerplay and was in a bit of a pickle. "I was panicking. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought we’d let them into the game. Of course, in the back of my mind, I always believed our lower middle order, although it hadn’t batted much during the tournament, had made an impact whenever given the opportunity," said Rohit Sharma, speaking to Jiostar. "Not many people are talking about Axar’s knock, but it was the game-changer. Scoring 47 off 31 at that stage was vital. And we needed one player to bat through the innings, Virat did that brilliantly," added Rohit. It would be a partnership between Axar and Virat Kohli that would steady the ship initially for India and help to put on a score of 176 Kohli, going into the game, was in a lean patch; however, in the final, he pulled off a 59-ball 76 run innings. "If you hit three boundaries in the first over, then you’ve started well. That’s what every cricketer wants. The experience of playing for India for so many years helps. You can control your emotions, control your thoughts, and stay in the moment. I’m sure he was thinking the same: ‘Today is the day I need to be focused.’ Not worrying about what happened before. And he played a brilliant innings, a fantastic partnership with Axar," said Rohit Sharma In the chase, South Africa at one point did look like they would get there; however, Jasprit Bumrah's two overs changed the tide in the contest, and Suryakumar Yadav took a stunning catch of David Miller in the final to ensure India got over the line.
