“Joh bhi hai, paon mein, dimag mein, dil mein…”: Suryakumar Yadav tells about the pep talk before the finals

New Delhi: Rohit Sharma’s captaincy scrutiny has been put to rest after Team India’s win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Sharma’s exploits in the IPL and the stark difference at the international level made the critics believe that the MI captain was only good in the domestic circuits and IPL rather than international tournaments.

India🇮🇳 defended 30 Runs in 30 Balls vs South Africa🇿🇦 in T20 World Cup 2024 Final 💥

Pakistan🇵🇰 can’t defend 18 Runs in 9 Balls vs Australia🇦🇺 in T20 World Cup 2021 Semi Final 👀

You doesn’t need 150 KMPH, You just need Skills and Match Awareness#T20WorldCup #INDvSAFinal pic.twitter.com/gqWsU92n2d

— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) July 1, 2024

Rohit has shunned every criticism and delivered the ultimate prize to the Indian fans. Speaking about the commitment of Rohit towards the team, fellow countryman remarked “The way he fell, ate some grass off the ground and tasted some mud on the pitch. These moments will stay with me for a long time.”

Interestingly, Rohit was also instrumental in Dravid’s extension after the devastating loss against Australia. Had it not been for Dravid’s experience and Rohit’s leadership, Surya feels India’s wait for the trophy would have been prolonged even more. The former Indian batsman also came and thanked Rohit for his ‘phone call’ to continue with the coaching job and urged Dravid to opt for an extension.

“Joh bhi hai, paon mein, dimag mein, dil mein…”

Gathering his troops and soldiers around, Rohit gave the most energetic pep talk that has found parallels with the iconic “Sattar minute” scene from Chak De India. He urged all his players to support him as he alone cannot move the mountain and will require the entire team’s effort to complete the task.

When asked about the leadership style, Surya remarked, “He connects with the players…” If Rohit moved the team with his passionate elocution, Dravid kept things simple for the boys to get a hold of the entire situation and to calm down the nerves.

Recalling that nervy moment in the dressing room, Surya recalls “He showed a graph of the number of T20 games the entire Indian team had played — from Virat bhai to Yashasvi Jaiswal (the most junior member). That number was 800-plus.” Furthermore, Yadav added “And then he showed a second slide that had the number of games that the entire coaching staff, including Rahul bhai, had played — that number was 1.”

Rohit-Dravid partnership has become one of the most successful captain-coach duos in Indian cricketing history. The only thing missing in this beautiful love story was an ICC trophy which arrived at last!