Months after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant tried to slow down the proceedings which led to a shift in the momentum during South Africa’s run chase. Heinrich Klaasen smashed Axar Patel for plenty and was looking to finish off the run chase in a hurry. That’s when the game was halted by Pant’s ‘fake injury’. Now, the wicketkeeper has
"I was thinking about this because suddenly the momentum shifted. There were a lot of runs in 2-3 overs. I was thinking that this moment when you are playing the World Cup final (may never come again). I was telling the physio, that you take your time, keep wasting the tim,” Pant told Star Sports in an event.
"He was asking me if I was okay. I told him I'm just acting. Sometimes in such a match situation, I am not saying that it works every time, but sometimes it works. And if it works in such a moment, you want nothing else," he added.
How Pant’s ploy worked
The brief halt in the game worked in India’s favour as they were able to regroup. Jasprit Bumrah kept a lid on boundaries and then Hardik Pandya got the crucial wicket of Klaasen. Wickets kept falling and Pandya dismissed David Miller in the final over which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin. India ended up winning the final by just seven runs to end their ICC Trophy drought which lasted over a decade.
Rohit lauded Pant’s intelligence
Earlier, Rohit appeared on 'The Great Indian Kapil Show' and lauded Pant for his game awareness. Before Pant, it was Afghanistan's Gulbadin Naib who faked an injury. Naib, however, wasn't too subtle about it and fell on the ground at the drop of a hat.
“When South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, just before that, there was a small break. Pant used his intelligence to pause the game - he had a knee injury, so he had his knee taped, which helped slow down the game - because the game was fast-paced, and at that moment, all a batter wants is the ball to be bowled quickly. But we had to break the rhythm. As I was setting the field and talking to bowlers, suddenly I saw Pant fallen on the ground. The physiotherapist had arrived and was taping his knee. Klassen was waiting for the match to start again. I am not saying it's the only reason, but it could be one of them - Pant Sahab used his smarts and things worked out in our favour,” Rohit had revealed earlier this month.
