India's inspirational captain Rohit Sharma has described their thrilling victory over South Africa in the final of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup as the greatest moment of his illustrious career. After a see-sawing encounter in Bridgetown, India held their nerve to edge out the Proteas by 7 runs and lift the trophy for the second time.
In a special interview after the match, Rohit got emotional reflecting on what the win meant to him on a personal level. “This has to be the greatest time for me,” he said. “I can say that with full conviction because I wanted to win this trophy so desperately.”
The veteran opener acknowledged that while he has achieved plenty of individual milestones over the years, team success is what truly drives him. “Scoring runs is one thing but winning matches and titles for your country is what I strive for.” He went on to state that given his hunger for World Cup glory, this triumph in the Caribbean simply has to rank as the pinnacle of his career to date.
Rohit reserved special praise for coach Rahul Dravid, highlighting how much it meant to deliver the trophy for the man who has devoted his life to Indian cricket. “More than anyone, Dravid deserved this. To not have a World Cup after all he's achieved used to bother him, so I'm delighted we could do this for him.”
The captain also lauded match-winner Jasprit Bumrah for repeatedly coming up with magic under pressure. However, Rohit was keen to stress that the victory was truly a complete team effort after three years of development under Dravid. With emotions still raw, Rohit basked in the glory of capping his leadership journey with the biggest prize in the game.