Rohit Sharma took a moment to reflect on the journey over the last year after India stormed into the T20 World Cup final, beating England by a dominant 68-run margin in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The India captain who was cheerful on the field was a bit emotional as he sat outside the dressing room following the post-match routines. Rohit was trying hard not to get teary-eyed when Virat Kohli gave a friendly tap on the captain's shoulders.
Virat Kohli, who was making his way back to the dressing room after the customary handshakes with the England players, noticed an emotional Rohit Sharma and comforted him. Suryakumar Yadav also patted Rohit, congratulating the skipper after India gave themselves a chance to go for glory on Saturday. Rohit sat on a chair outside the dressing room with his head buried in his hands as he controlled his emotions even as the television cameras zoomed into him.
Rohit Sharma was brimming with pride as he praised the all-round effort of his teammates on the big day against England. Having lost to Jos Buttler's men by 10 wickets in the 2022 semi-final in Adelaide, India were under a bit of pressure. However, Rohti led from the front and showed the way as India hammered the defending champions, rattling them with spin and winning by 68 runs.
Rohit Sharma top-scored for India with 57 off 39 balls while Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with 47 as the two Mumbai batters added 73 runs in 50 balls for a match-winnig third-wicket stand.
India posted 171 on the board -- a total that proved too many in the end for England. Indian spinners ran riot, picking up six wickets between them. Axar Patel ran through the top-order before Kuldeep Yadav hurt the middle-order batters. Jasprit Bumrah continued his wicket-taking run, scalping two more, including the crucial wicket of Phil Salt.
England managed just 103 as none of their batters were able to fend off the Indian bowling unit's threat.
Speaking about the big final, Rohit added: "it's a big occasion. For us it's important we keep calm. Staying composed helps you make good decisions and that''ll be required. We got to keep making good decisions throughout the 40 overs. That'll help us making the game through. In this game, we were very steady and calm. We didn't panic too much and that has been the key for us.
"You got to play good cricket and that's what we want to do in the final as well. We'll try our best, that's all I can say. The team is in good shape, they are playing well. All I can hope is to put up another good show come the finals," he added.
India, who lost the World Test Championship final and the World Cup final last year, will have a shot at redemption when they take on South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup in Barbados on Saturday.
