While Rohit announced his retirement from T20s in the international arena, he tried to make the moment memorable in a unique way, reminding of tennis legend Novak Djokovic.
Like Djokovic famously ate a strand of grass after one of his triumphs at the Wimbledon, Rohit went to the pitch and put a speck of sand from the Kensington Oval track in his mouth.
The moment was captured in a video by the ICC.
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As Hardik Pandya delivered the last ball of the final to limit South Africa to 169 for 8 in response to India’s 176 for 7, Rohit lay flat on the ground thumping the ground in elation.
In another iconic moment during the post-match celebrations, Rohit was seen installing the India flag in the middle of the Barbados ground that delighted Indians worldwide.
For India, ‘Player of the Match’ Virat Kohli (76 off 59 balls) and Axar Patel (47 off 31 balls) starred with the bat, while Pandya led the bowling charts with his spell of 3 for 20, well assisted by ‘Player of the Tournament’ Jasprit Bumrah (2 for 18) and Arshdeep Singh (2 for 20).
Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27 balls) looked to be taking the match away from India at one moment, but Pandya struck at a crucial juncture to send him back and then also removed David Miller (21 off 17 balls), thanks to an unbelievable catch by Suryakumar Yadav on the edge of the boundary.
This was India’s first ICC trophy win in 11 years, since clinching the Champions Trophy in 2013.
Besides Rohit, batting legend Kohli also announced his retirement from T20Is.
This was also the last match as India’s head coach for Rahul Dravid.
