VVS Laxman, who used to play cricket for India and now leads the National Cricket Academy, said that winning the T20 World Cup was very important for India. He also mentioned how special it felt when the team, led by Rohit Sharma, managed to win the final against South Africa in Barbados on June 29, even after being close to losing. Laxman remembered the big celebrations that started in Barbados and finished in Mumbai, and talked about how his old teammate, Rahul Dravid, showed a lot of emotions during the celebrations.
VVS Laxman praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for allowing Rahul Dravid to have the recognition he deserved during the celebrations following the T20 World Cup final. The famous cricketer commended Kohli for including Dravid in the trophy ceremony and making room for a very touching moment during the celebrations at the Kensington Oval.
“Then there’s Rahul, someone I’ve played a lot of cricket with and known for many years. Seeing him so emotional, especially after the last ball was bowled and during his talks with different team members, was really touching. When he held the World Cup trophy, I felt it was a nice move by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to let him take it. The joy he showed in celebrating with the trophy made it clear how important this win was to everyone on the team,” VVS Laxman shared in a video for the BCCI from Harare.
Laxman mentioned a touching moment during India’s celebration after winning the big final. Kohli encouraged Dravid, the head coach, to join in and enjoy the victory. Dravid initially tried to avoid the attention after Rohit Sharma received the World Cup trophy, but Kohli insisted that Dravid be part of the celebration. Dravid’s enthusiastic celebration surprised many in the cricket community.
“Everyone expressed their feelings. This demonstrated how important it was to all the players on the team. It wasn’t just the main eleven players. Even the people who help and coach the team were very emotional. You could see Hardik Pandya crying after he finished his last turn of throwing the ball. We also saw Rohit Sharma lying on the ground, showing his emotions,” Laxman said.
India faced a challenging situation when South Africa required only 30 runs from 30 balls to reach their target of 177 in the T20 World Cup final. But Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya played crucial roles to turn the game around for India, leading them to a 7-run win.
