Rohit Sharma credits THIS player as India's game-changer in T20 World Cup 2024 final; it's not Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik Pandya

As the first anniversary of India's 2024 T20 World Cup victory approaches, Rohit Sharma, the team's captain, reflected on the historic win that ended India's 11-year drought for an ICC trophy, achieved by defeating South Africa in a thrilling final by just five runs.

The final was a dramatic affair, with India facing early challenges as they lost three wickets during the powerplay. However, Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in stabilizing the innings, scoring 76 runs off 59 balls, which earned him the Man of the Match (MOTM) accolade.

At one point, it seemed the Proteas were on track to chase down the target, needing only 30 runs in the last five overs with six wickets remaining. Yet, Jasprit Bumrah delivered an exceptional performance, taking 2 wickets for 18 runs in four overs. He received strong backing from Arshdeep Singh, who also took 2 wickets for 20 runs in four overs, while Hardik Pandya emerged as the hero, maintaining his composure to bowl a flawless final over, concluding with figures of 3 wickets for 20 runs in four overs.

Rohit acknowledged Axar Patel as the key player for India in the final. The 31-year-old was elevated to the number five position and validated the decision with a significant contribution of 47 runs off 31 balls. The star all-rounder formed a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 72 runs, setting the foundation for India to post a competitive total. Rohit confessed that he felt anxious following the team's early collapse.

“I was panicking. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought we’d let them into the game. Of course, in the back of my mind, I always believed our lower middle order, although it hadn’t batted much during the tournament, had made an impact whenever given the opportunity.

“Not many people are talking 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,” said Rohit in an interaction with Jiostar.

Axar later secured the vital wicket of Tristan Stubbs, although he was costly, giving away 49 runs in four overs. Throughout the tournament, Axar emerged as one of India's most reliable players with both bat and ball. He scored 92 runs across eight innings at a strike rate of 139.39, while also claiming nine wickets with an economy of 7.86.

Bumrah received the Player of the Tournament (POTM) award, achieving an impressive total of 15 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 4.17.

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