Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has revealed he felt ‘worried’ when the equation in the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados came to run-a-ball. He added that he had to convince himself to be positive and then got some help from reverse swing to turn the game around.
India defended a target of 177 in the big final, winning the title by a margin of seven runs. Bumrah conceded just four runs in the 16th over to bring the equation to 26 off 24 and the pressure earned Hardik Pandya the crucial wicket of Heinrich Klaasen in the next. South Africa crumbled from there on, with Bumrah ending with 2/18 and an economy rate of 4.50.
“When the score had come to 30 off 30, I would be lying if I said I was not worried and that I knew I could make a role (sic)," Bumrah told Forbes India in an interview before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a clip of which was released recently. “But no. We were worried, but I was somehow talking to myself that okay, you stay positive, you still have to stay in the game, and try and get your team back because the game is still not over, still 30 runs are left."
“Then when I came in the second last over, I saw the ball was reverse swinging a little bit. That doesn’t happen a lot in white-ball cricket. So then I realised if I can squeeze in a good over, the run-rate will become higher and higher and it’s a final so the pressure keeps mounting up. So when the ball started to reverse then I started to use my experience in how to use it to the best of my advantage," he added.
Bumrah said he had to also fight thoughts of going for glory and instead stuck to his plans.
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“What helps me the most is staying in the present. I was not looking at a last-ball victory. I was looking at one by one, slowly taking your team to a better position. If I had thought about, okay, I have to bowl the glory ball or do something magical, it never works… And God was very kind, I am very grateful we were able to turn that game around," Bumrah concluded.
The pacer was declared the Player of the Tournament for the World Cup.
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