New Delhi, Jul 12 (IANS): VVS Laxman, India’s coach on the ongoing T20I tour of Zimbabwe, said the passionate and emotional celebrations by the entire side after winning 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup showed how much the triumph mattered to them.
Captained by Rohit Sharma, India broke an 11-year drought of a global trophy by winning their second T20 World Cup title after beating South Africa by seven runs in the final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.
"The entire country is rejoicing in this win. Everyone showed their emotions and it showed how much it meant to each and every player in the squad, as well as the support staff, the emotions were really high. You saw Hardik Pandya break down once he bowled the last delivery. You saw Rohit Sharma on the ground.
"Someone like Rahul with whom I have played so much of cricket, knew him for so many years, - for him to show that emotions, first when the last ball was bowled and then just the various conversations he was having with the team members and when he lifted the trophy.
"I thought it was a great gesture by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to hand over the trophy to him (Dravid) and the way he celebrated by lifting the trophy, it showed how much it meant to each one of them. The amount of hard work they put in, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the bigger story behind this victory," said Laxman in a video posted by the BCCI on X.
Laxman, who played 134 Tests for India, is currently heading the head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, and lauded the fightback spirit showed by the side, especially in the last five overs of the final.
"Obviously, it is a special feeling winning the World Cup, because when you are playing against the best and win the trophy, it means a lot to all the players participating in the tournament. The kind of finish we had after we were under pressure with South African batters needing 30 runs off 30 balls.
"From there to show character, resilience and self-belief to pull off the match from the jaws of defeat, it shows the character of the entire team. It was a special feeling keeping in mind we had come close (to winning the title) six months back (ODI World Cup). We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire tournament and then not being able to cross the final hurdle," he said.
After the triumph, Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired from T20Is and Laxman paid gratitude to them for being key players in the side while playing the shortest format.
"My message to these stalwarts of the game, Virat, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja, an extremely talented player who has contributed immensely to the progress of the Indian team, is a big congratulations and a big thank you for all the contributions you have made to this great game and set an example to the youngsters to follow.
"The passion and the pride with which they had played this game is exemplary. While they have retired from this format, I am sure they will continue to prepare the way they did so far in their career and continue to bring laurels to the country. Big congratulations to them for an excellent T20I career. I am sure they will continue to contribute in the longer version of the game and in the 50-over format," he concluded.