India captain Rohit Sharma ended his T20I career on a high as he led the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup 2024 win over South Africa in Barbados on June 29.
As India won the game, Rohit Sharma's emotions showed up during different moments, as emotional celebratory scenes unfolded at the Kensington Oval.
While there were tears in every Indian player and fan’s eyes, Rohit Sharma did something unusual as he walked to the Barbados pitch picked a tiny amount of soil from the surface, and ate it.
The moment reminded everyone of tennis legend Novak Djokovic eating a strand of grass from the Wimbledon center court after one of his triumphs at the famous Grand Slam event.
But Rohit insisted his move wasn't "scripted", rather it was "instinctive".
"Nothing was scripted; it was all coming instinctively. I was feeling the moment. because that pitch gave us this (T20 World Cup), we played on that particular pitch and we won the game on that particular ground, I will remember that ground and that pitch forever in my life. So I wanted to have a piece of it with me. Those moments are very, very special; and the place where all our dreams came true, I wanted something of it. That was the feeling behind it," Rohit said in the video shared by BCCI on social media.
South Africa had the game in their hands with 30 needed off the last 30 balls a rampaging Heinrich Klaasen and a well-set Quinton de Kock at the other end. But Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh kept their nerves and earned a 7-wicket win for India.
"The feeling actually is surreal. I would say it still hasn't sunk in totally. It's been a great moment, right from when the game got over till now. It feels like a dream...Although it has happened, it feels like it hasn't happened. That's the emotion, that's the feeling you have.
We had dreamt about it, and worked hard as a unit for such a long period of time. To see this now with us, we feel quite relieved as well because when you work hard for something and you eventually get it in the end, it feels really really nice,” Rohit said.
Rohit also revealed that the Indian team partied hard into the early morning the next day. The Indian contingent were stuck in Barbados due to a hurricane, but are expected to arrive back home on Tuesday or Wednesday.
"Last night, we were having a good time, and had a blast with the teammates till very early morning. So I would say I didn't sleep properly, but that's absolutely fine for me. Not to sleep after a day like that, I am totally fine (with it). There is a lot of time for me to go back home and sleep. So I am going to catch up on that," said Rohit, who announced his retirement from the format.
