NEW DELHI: “India win the T20 World Cup after 17 years. The drought is over. Despair a thought for what Hardik Pandya has done in the last half an hour” — the passionate words of the former cricketer and ex-Team India head coach Ravi Shastri still resonate in the ears of Indian cricket fans. India clinched the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy after defeating South Africa in a thrilling final.
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India’s star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya — one of the architects of India’s T20 World Cup triumph — spoke to the ICC in an interview, reflecting on the exhilarating final against South Africa and how he maintained his composure in the pressure-cooker atmosphere.
Pandya also shared insights into his strategy for dismissing the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen.
“There wasn’t much spoken. Rohit and I have played together for so many years. He knows my character, my personality, and how much I value cricket awareness. Just before the ball, I told him that I was going to bowl wide to Klaasen. I just knew he would be expecting a delivery on the stumps. His stance was slightly leg-side dominant, so I anticipated he would try to hit me there,” Pandya said.
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“Just before my run-up, right before I started, I looked at him and was about to say, ‘I am going to bowl a slower one.’ But I hadn’t set a field for a slower ball. I had to outfox him, to be one step ahead in the game so he wouldn’t anticipate the delivery. The way he was hitting was just tremendous. That moment, I think, opened the door for us.
“I have always thrived in and enjoyed these high-pressure situations; they bring out the best in me. I have always visualized myself bowling the last over or scoring the winning run in a World Cup final.
“In Barbados, there was a strong breeze blowing toward the dressing room side. If he wanted to drag me, he would have to hit against the wind, which increased the chances of a mistimed shot. My strength would have been a stump yorker, but we deliberately went outside off-stump for a specific reason—if he wanted to hit us, he had to do it against the odds, not in his favorable zone. That was pure situational awareness and understanding our strengths. I think that’s why we remained calm and composed with our plans.
“Rohit and I spoke after the game as well. When the ball went up in the air, it initially looked like it would land inside the 30-yard circle or that a fielder would have to run in. But then we saw the wind carrying it farther and farther, and it just kept going—it didn’t stop.
“And obviously, what Surya did in that moment, with such presence of mind and calmness, was sheer brilliance. We won as a team, but for me to play such a crucial role—it feels surreal. It’s a dream that actually came true.
“It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The relief of the past six, seven, eight months just washed over me. I’m really, really proud of how I stood strong. Maybe I didn’t show much emotion, but everything I had been going through just came out in that moment. The pressure, the burden I had been carrying, just lifted, and I thought, ‘Yes… finally, I did it for my country,’” Pandya said.
