Jasprit Bumrah was a vital reason why India won the T20 World Cup 2024 as his bowling helped the team come out of trouble situations multiple times during the tournament. He was deservedly named the Player of the Tournament as well.
Bumrah finished with 15 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2024 at an economy of just 4.17 in 8 games. His spells against Pakistan and in the final against South Africa will go down in history as two of the best bowling performances in T20I cricket.
While Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja called time on their T20I careers after the final, Jasprit Bumrah made it clear that his retirement time was very far away and he had just started.
"It (Retirement) is a long way (away). I have just started. I am very happy that I have done well. Hopefully, it is far away now,” Bumrah said during Team India's felicitation ceremony at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
"It feels amazing. This ground is really special in my life. I came as a U19 kid. What I have seen today on the ground, on the streets, and the people over here. I have never seen anything like that. To experience this and the emotions that we felt after the game is unreal. I will never forget them and the memories I have with me now," Bumrah added.
Bumrah also praised his team and added what vision the senior players have set for the side.
"I will count myself as a young lad as well. The experienced players and the variety that we have, the confidence that we have, that all the players are so confident to take the game by the scruff of the neck. All of that is as special as that gets. And like Rohit and Virat just said all we aim to take Indian cricket forward and try to help the team as much as we can and bring more glory to the country. We have never won a World Cup before. This gives us more motivation," he further added.
On the other hand, outgoing India head coach Rahul Dravid was also emotional when asked to say a few words. Dravid’s tenure as India head coach came to an end on a high with India winning the T20 World Cup 2024.
Previously, India made it into the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup and the finals of the World Test Championship and ICC World Cup last year with Rohit as captain and Dravid as coach. But India got nothing but heartbreak.
Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India's coach ended with the ICC World Cup at home in November last year. But the former India captain revealed that it was a phone call from Rohit Sharma, that made him extend his contract till the T20 World Cup 2024.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue after the 50-Over World Cup, and obviously, there was a great joy of having had a fantastic campaign but also a little bit of disappointment in the final that we could not get over the line,” Dravid recalled.
“For Rohit to pick up the phone and say, ‘Rahul, let’s have one more crack at it in six or eight months. It will be lovely to have a crack at it together. I am so thankful because I had the chance to work with an exceptionally great bunch of boys. But also experience what I have experienced in Barbados and to experience what I have done here. Truly grateful and probably one of the best phone calls that I have received in my life,” Dravid added.
Dravid says he’s going to miss the adulation of the fans.
“I am going to miss this love. What we have seen today is phenomenal. What we have seen right from the time we have landed here. Just the love of these people and fans. It is the greatest game in the world because of the fans of India,” Dravid said.
