Rohit Sharma relives India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win: ‘It couldn’t have gotten any bigger’

Rohit Sharma opens up in a candid interview about India’s emotional ICC T20 World Cup 2024 win, highlighting key moments with Kohli, Axar, Suryakumar, and coach Rahul Dravid that helped reclaim the title after 17 years.

Hyderabad: India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma sat down with JioHotstar for a straight-from-the-heart conversation on “Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se” to reflect—exactly a year after the historic victory—on key moments like Virat Kohli and Axar Patel’s rescue act, Suryakumar Yadav’s blinder, and Rahul Dravid’s final mission, which led them to become World Champions again.

“Thirteen years is a long time. Most people don’t even have a 13-year career. So, to wait that long to win a World Cup… the last one I won was in 2007. For me, it couldn’t have gotten any bigger than this. I didn’t sleep the whole night,” Rohit said.

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“I was only thinking about the World Cup. I was nervous. I couldn’t feel my legs. Did I feel nerves? Of course. I just don’t show it—but inside, it was a lot,” he said.

“We were supposed to leave around 8:30 or 9 in the morning. But I woke up at 7. From my room, I could see the ground and just kept watching it. I remember thinking—‘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 said.

On Virat Kohli’s crucial knock and his partnership with Axar Patel in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final, Rohit said, “If you hit three boundaries in the first over, then obviously you’ve started off well. And that’s exactly what every cricketer wants—it helps settle the nerves. The experience of playing for India over so many years also helps in those moments.”

“You learn to control your emotions, manage your thoughts, and stay in the present. I’m sure even he (Virat) was thinking, ‘Today is the day—I need to stay focused and not worry about what happened in the past,’” Rohit explained.

“He played a brilliant knock and stitched a crucial partnership with Axar Patel. When we lost those three wickets up front, there were definitely nerves inside the dressing room. I was panicking—I wasn’t comfortable,” he said.

“I remember thinking, ‘We’ve let them into the game.’ But in the back of my mind, I always had belief in our lower middle order—positions 5, 6, 7, and 8,” he said.

“They hadn’t batted much in the tournament, but whenever they got the opportunity, they made it count. And that confidence in them kept me going. Not many people are talking about Axar’s knock, but that innings was a real game-changer,” he said.

“To score 47 off 31 balls at that stage was incredibly crucial. We needed someone to bat through the innings, and Virat did that job perfectly. It was really important for someone to anchor the innings, and he did it brilliantly,” Rohit said.

“That allowed Shivam, Axar, and Hardik to come in and play their roles with freedom—and that’s exactly what they did,” he added.

On Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch at long-off, Rohit said,
“Surya was at long-off and that catch—honestly, it was the moment of the match. Even after he took it, the umpires were checking if he touched the rope. Everyone’s heart was in their mouth. I was at long-on, watching it unfold. It looked like a six—until Surya flew in and took that blinder.”

“With the wind blowing in, I think it helped pull the ball back slightly. I was standing next to him during the check. I asked him and he said, ‘I think I’ve caught it.’”

“The zoom camera showed the rope didn’t move—which usually happens if it’s touched. That gave us some relief. But until it flashed on the big screen, you don’t know what the third umpire’s going to decide,” Rohit explained.

On India’s emotional title win in Barbados, Rohit said, “Barbados will forever be in my veins. This is the proudest moment of my cricketing career. To lift that trophy, to be crowned ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Champions—it was surreal.”

“I played in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and we won under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. And now, to win it again with Rahul Dravid as head coach—it meant everything to this group,” he said.

“We’ve seen heartbreak. We’ve come so close. That’s why this one was so special. We worked and planned relentlessly—every day. And when we finally won, all the emotions came pouring out,” Rohit said.

“The younger players, especially those playing their first World Cup, realised how hard it is to win one. Nothing can be taken for granted. It was magical,” he added.

On how Rahul Dravid stayed on for one final mission, Rohit said,
“Rahul bhai wanted to step down after the 2023 World Cup. But we said, ‘There’s another World Cup in six months. We’ve come this far. Let’s give it one more shot.’ He agreed—and I’m so glad he did. I’m sure even now he feels that he made the right decision.”

“For me personally, it was also emotional. My identity as a cricketer began with this format—in the 2007 T20 World Cup. To come full circle and lift the trophy again in 2024—it was just fantastic,” he said.

On the emotions heading into the semi-final against England, Rohit said he was quietly confident.
“We’d played really good cricket leading up to this match—everyone was in form, and we were doing exactly what we had set out to do as a team. Of course, the 2022 loss to England was in the back of our minds—it should be. It was a heavy defeat,” he explained.

“But we learned from that. From 2022 to 2024, we changed a lot of things: our mindset, our preparation, and the way we approached key moments. This time, we were fully prepared. There was belief, and there was clarity in what we wanted to achieve,” he explained.

On the importance of early wickets in the Powerplay to unsettle England, Rohit said,
“Taking wickets in the Powerplay is crucial—half the job gets done there. And against England, it was especially important. Both Buttler and Salt are dangerous, but Buttler is their key player. He’s experienced, plays around the world, and knows our bowlers well—how to play Axar, Kuldeep, and Bumrah.”

“So, getting him early was critical. We got his wicket in the third over, and Salt in the next. Once that happened, we knew we were halfway there. After that, the game slowed down. We brought on the spinners—Kuldeep, Axar, and Jaddu—and they bowled beautifully. The pitch was helping spin, and the idea was to get the slower bowlers on as early as possible,” Rohit explained.