Rohit Sharma reveals he was fooled by Rishabh Pant’s shocking gesture in T20 World Cup 2024 final

Team India batter Rohit Sharma has opened up about a controversial moment involving Rishabh Pant from the T20 World Cup final last year. Sharma admitted that he initially felt Pant was genuinely injured during South Africa’s run chase, but Pant had only acted hurt to disrupt South Africa’s momentum.

India broke their 11-year ICC trophy drought by winning the T20 World Cup in Barbados on June 29 last year. The team secured a seven-run victory over South Africa in the encounter. This was India’s first ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy, when MS Dhoni led the team to victory over England.

Genuinely Thought Something Had Happened to Rishabh Pant - Rohit Sharma

One of the most discussed moments was Rishabh Pant’s tactical move to fake an injury in the final. This break in play disrupted the Proteas’ rhythm, with the crucial dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen shifting the momentum in India’s favor.

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Speaking on Star Sports, Rohit Sharma admitted that he initially felt Pant had injured his knee, which had suffered a blow in the 2022 car accident.

Hardik Pandya and Rohit were discussing bowling plans and were unaware of the real situation. Rohit later realized that Pant had faked the injury to intentionally pause the game and break South Africa’s momentum.

"See, Hardik has come to bowl there. So, we were discussing with Hardik what to do. I didn't know what had happened before. I genuinely thought that something had happened to him," Rohit told Star Sports in an interview.

"The accident he had, I thought he was just trying to. But actually, it was just to stop the game a little bit. The momentum was with them. So, it was very important to break that. So, I think we went back to that. Eventually, Hardik dismissed Klaasen," he added.

South Africa in Control of the Chase Before Rishabh Pant’s Gesture

South Africa were in control of the chase, needing just 26 runs from the final 24 balls with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller well-set at the crease. While Rohit Sharma was setting the field and discussing plans with Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant went down on the field.

Hardik dismissed Klaasen, and Jasprit Bumrah then bowled a brilliant in-swinger to remove Marco Jansen. India’s bowlers, including Hardik and Arshdeep Singh, tightened the screws in the death overs, restricting the Proteas and sealing a seven-run win.

This victory marked the beginning of a dominant run in white-ball cricket for India. They went on to win the 2025 Champions Trophy, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament and defeating New Zealand in the final.

I Am Not Saying It's the Only Reason - Rohit Sharma

During an appearance on The Great Indian Kapil Show, Rohit Sharma praised Rishabh Pant for his quick thinking during the T20 World Cup final. Rohit mentioned that while it wasn't the sole turning point, it played a role and worked in India’s favour.

"The physiotherapist had arrived and was taping his knee. Klassen was waiting for the match to start again. I am not saying it's the only reason, but it could be one of them - Pant Sahab used his smarts and things worked out in our favour," he had said.

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