When Axar Patel came on to bowl, South Africa needed 54 runs from 36 balls.
India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 title after a nail-biting 7-run win over South Africa on June 29 in Barbados. One key moment that sparked debate was Rohit Sharma’s choice to let Axar Patel bowl the 15th over — a decision that did not go according to plan.
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Speaking to Star Sports recently, Rohit explained why he made that choice and why he’s okay with it, even though it didn’t go as planned.
Rohit explained he had a solid plan, picking Axar to bowl from one end to protect that side of the field, hoping for a straight ball to challenge the batsmen. He saved his fast bowlers, like Jasprit Bumrah, for the other end, where the bigger boundary and wind could make hitting harder. He was hoping one ball would go straight, it didn’t, but that’s why he chose Axar for that end. His thinking was clear: balance the attack while using the conditions smartly.
“See, I was hoping that at least one ball would go straight. It didn’t happen, that’s a different matter. But I was hoping—that’s why I asked Axar to bowl from that end, because I had to protect that end too. And from that end, I probably had to bring on the fast bowlers against Klaasen, because that side of the ground was bigger and it was against the wind, ” Rohit said.
When Axar Patel came on to bowl, South Africa needed 54 runs from 36 balls, but he gave away 24 runs in that over.
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As a captain, Rohit’s mind is always racing with strategies. He couldn’t let one bowler hog the easier side, so Axar, who was on fire after being Player of the Match in the previous game, got the tough end. Axar’s has a knack of dismissing Right handed batters, he got Tristan Stubbs out, so Rohit thought he could get Klaasen too.
But Klaasen turned the over into a nightmare, smashing 24 runs with two huge sixes. Rohit pointed out that one mistimed shot could’ve been caught, and everyone would’ve called it a masterstroke.
“So all these things are always running in your mind. You can’t have just one bowler bowl from the same end. Someone has to bowl from the challenging side, and that had to be Axar because he was in great form, Man of the Match in the previous game. He is my wicket-taker in the middle overs against right-handed batters. It’s a great match-up—he got Tristan Stubbs bowled, so why not? He could get Klaasen out too,” he added.
The skipper doesn’t regret the decision even if it was costly. Not every choice works out but he believes he made the right call.
“And sometimes, like I said earlier, not every decision you make turns out to be right. But that doesn’t mean I curse myself for taking that decision. I think I made the right call. If someone else had bowled from that end and given away 26 runs, then what?” he concluded.
After Axar’s over, South Africa needed just 30 runs from 30 balls with Klaasen and Miller at the crease. The game looked in their favour, but India’s bowlers turned it around. Bumrah, Arshdeep, and Hardik bowled brilliantly at the death. Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning boundary catch to dismiss Miller shifted momentum. Hardik’s final over sealed it, as South Africa ended on 169 for 8, chasing 177.
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