'Barbados will forever be in my veins' - Rohit Sharma opens up on lifting T20 World Cup title

On June 29, 2024, India ended a 13-year ICC trophy drought by defeating South Africa in the T20 World Cup final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Rohit Sharma, who captained the Men in Blue to victory, has now opened up about the emotional toll that ended in finally lifting the silverware.

The Men in Blue's wait for an ICC trophy had been long and full of near-misses in several tournaments since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Despite having a world-class squad, the team suffered defeats in many knockout stages, including the 2023 ODI World Cup final. But on June 29, India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in a thrilling last-over final to lift their second T20 World Cup title, the first since the MS Dhoni-led victory in 2007. For Rohit, who debuted in the inaugural edition, this win brought his journey full circle. 

“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. 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. 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,” Rohit said exclusively on JioHotstar’s special show 'Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se.'

It was also emotional for me: Rohit 

He recalled the contributions in the final, including those of Virat Kohli’s 76, Axar Patel’s 47, Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance at the death, Suryakumar Yadav’s game-changing catch, and Hardik Pandya's final over. India, after losing wickets in quick succession, fought back to post 176/7. 

Later, with brilliant bowling, they managed to restrict the Proteas seven runs short of the target. Rohit revealed that the head coach Rahul Dravid had planned to step down after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but the team convinced him to stay for till the T20 World Cup.

“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 added.

The title win also saw the exit of Rohit, Virat, and Ravindra Jadeja, who announced their retirement from T20Is after the tournament, marking an end to their illustrious respective careers.