In a show with Star Sports, Pant recalled the moment he faked an injury to break the momentum of the batting side.
India scripted a miraculous comeback in the T20 World Cup 2024 final after Heinrich Klaasen took them to the cleaners. He targeted India’s quality spinners and shifted the game completely in South Africa’s favour.
After Klaasen’s assault, the equation came down to a paltry 26 in 24 deliveries, with the two most dangerous death overs batters – Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller – on the crease. They had the momentum on their side, even though Jasprit Bumrah had just delivered a calm over, giving only four runs.
The packed crowd in Barbados was still recovering from Axar’s over when Klaasen took 24 runs, hitting him for four boundaries. The Indian dressing room had their shoulders down, with the familiarity of the past ten years resurfacing, with another heartbreak on the horizon.
To make matters worse, Rishabh Pant went down with a knee niggle, and the physio was called for treatment. It was not until Rohit Sharma’s appearance in a show that he revealed Pant did that to break the momentum of the opposition and slow down the game; he didn’t have any issues at all.
Rishabh Pant reveals more on injury trick during T20 World Cup 2024 Final
In a show with Star Sports, Pant recalled the moment he faked an injury to break the momentum of the batting side. He stated that he deliberately asked the physio to take his time and waste it as much as possible during the end moments.
“I was thinking about this because suddenly the momentum shifted. There were a lot of runs in 2-3 overs. So, I was thinking, when will this moment come again when you are playing in a World Cup final? So, I told the physio that take your time and keep wasting time. He was asking me if I was okay. I told him ‘I’m just acting’. Sometimes in such a match situation, I am not saying that it works every time, But sometimes it works. And if it works in such a moment, you want nothing else.”
RISHABH PANT – THE MOMENTUM BREAKER…!!! 😄👌
Pant narrated the story behind his injury during the T20 World Cup final when SA needed 26 from 24. [Star Sports] pic.twitter.com/7AeyHAnzdF
As it turned out, Pant’s trick did wonders for the Men in Blue. Right after the break, Hardik Pandya gave the biggest breakthrough for India, dismissing Klaasen on the first delivery of the 17th over.
We all know what transpired later, as India ended the wait of more than ten years. Rishabh Pant has always been known for his on-field tricks, and his fake injury produced the right result for the Men in Blue.
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