• Source:JND
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IND vs SA 2024 T20 World Cup Final: Just one year after winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup title, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma became nostalgic and talked about one of the most defining moments of their historic victory against South Africa, like Virat Kohli's brilliant fifty to his match-winning partnership with Axar Patel. "If you hit three boundaries in the first over, then obviously you have started well. And that's exactly what every cricketer wants helps settle the nerves" Rohit said.

According to Rohit, Kohli's ability to perform under pressure situation isn't just about playing brilliant shots but also the kind of experience he has playing for the country.

"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 was thinking Today is the day I need to stay focused and not worry about what happened in the past".

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Kohli stood up when the team needed him the most as he helped the team bounce back by scoring a match-winning knock of 76 runs and stitched a brilliant partnership with Axar Patel after the team had suffered a batting collapse.

"When we lost three wickets upfront, there were nerves inside the dressing room. I was panicking, I wasn't comfortable" he further said.

"I remember thinking we have let them into the game. But in the back of my mind I always have belief in our lower-middle order- positions 5,6,7,8. They haven't batted much throughout the tournament but whenever they got the opportunity, they made it count".

Rohit heaped praises on Axar Patel, who too scored a brilliant knock of 47 turns off 31 balls as that played a huge role in shifting the tide of the match in their side. "Not many people are talking about Axar's knock but that innings was a real game-changer. To score 47 runs off 31 balls at the stage was incredibly crucial" he added.

The Indian skipper showered huge praises on Virat Kohli for playing the role of a second fiddle perfectly and he thus let the other batters play freely.

"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. That allowed Shivam, Axar, and Hardik to come in and play their roles with freedom and that's exactly what they did" he concluded.

Both Rohit and Virat got a perfect ending to their T20I careers as the summit clash at Kensington Oval had become a memorable experience for them and Virat Kohli was the star performer as he stood up when the team needed him the most.