Rohit reveals how Kohli eased his nerves after he was panicking during T20 World Cup final against South Africa

Rohit Sharma had helped India end an 11-year jinx in June last year by leading the Men in Blue to a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup in Barbados. Not only was the Indian team crowned world T20 champions for a second time, they also won their first ICC event since the MS Dhoni-led Indian team won the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.

Rohit, however, recently revealed that he was “panicking” at one point in the final, and also opened up on how former captain and long-time teammate Virat Kohli helped ease his nerves in the showdown against the Proteas at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval.

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“I was panicking. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought we’d let them into the game,” Rohit told JioCinema on getting dismissed cheaply in the final after electing to bat.

Rohit had every right to be worried in the dressing room; he had, after all, been dismissed at a crucial stage in the ICC World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad less than a year ago, getting caught by Travis Head off Glenn Maxwell’s bowling just when he was starting to look threatening. India had posted a below-par total of 241 that the Pat Cummins-led Australian team chased down with relative ease, thanks primarily to Head’s superb 137 off 120 balls.

And by getting dismissed for a single-digit score despite being the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, Rohit feared a repeat of the Ahmedabad heartbreak in Barbados. Especially after Rishabh Pant (0) and Suryakumar Yadav (3) also departed in quick succession.

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Kohli’s 76 to the rescue

The 38-year-old, however, narrated how Kohli channeled his experience to stabilise India’s innings with a knock of 76 off 59 deliveries that helped the Men in Blue post a competitive 176/7 on the board.

“The experience of playing for India for so many years helps. You can control your emotions, control your thoughts, and stay in the moment,” Rohit continued.

“I’m sure he (Kohli) 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. After losing those three wickets up front, there were obviously a lot of nerves in the dressing room.

“Not many people talk 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,” Rohit stated,” he added, making special mention of all-rounder Axar Patel’s 31-ball 47 and his 72-run partnership with Kohli.

‘Meant so much to all of us’

South Africa, however, had nearly chased the target down despite losing their first two wickets for just 12 runs. Explosive middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen played a key role in keeping them in the hunt with a knock of 52 off 27 deliveries while Quinton de Kock (39) and Tristan Stubbs (31) also chipped in with valuable contributions.

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Klaasen’s dismissal at the start of the death overs along with some stellar death bowling by the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, however, halted the Proteas on their track, with Pandya's dismissal of David Miller (21 off 17) at the start of the final over proving to be the final nail in the coffin.

“It meant so much to all of us, to that group. We’d experienced the heartbreak of coming so close and falling short. That’s why it was special. We planned meticulously. We worked hard every single day, constantly thinking about how to win the World Cup,” Rohit added on the triumph that was followed by parade at Mumbai's Marine Drive followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rohit, Kohli and senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had announced their retirement from Twenty20 Internationals after India’s victory in the T20 World Cup final.