Bridgetown (Barbados), June 30 Following India's triumph in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against South Africa, all-rounder Axar Patel shared that head coach Rahul Dravid advised the team to enjoy the final and not succumb to pressure.
After losing three wickets in quick succession, Virat Kohli and Axar forged a crucial 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket, propelling India to a competitive total of 176/7.
South Africa, in pursuit of their first world title, came tantalizingly close with impressive performances from Quinton de Kock (39), Heinrich Klaasen (52), Tristan Stubbs (31), and David Miller (21). However, they ultimately fell eight runs short of victory in an epic final.
Axar, who bowled an outstanding spell of 3-23 in India's 68-run victory over England in the second semifinal, once again came to India's rescue in the final, helping them to a competitive total.
Reflecting on his performance, the all-rounder mentioned that he approached the final as just another game and wasn't focused on the win while he was batting.
"It means everything to me. Last few years I've been getting injured, and not getting that performance. I wanted to do something for India. I am really feeling proud. I tried to keep it simple. Just thought of it as another match and that worked for me," said Axar after the match.
"When I went to bat, I didn't think of what'll happen if I get out. Rohit is an amazing captain, he led India very well in this tournament. Rahul bhai asked us to enjoy, not take pressure. I thought I was going down the order. When we lost three wickets, Rahul bhai suddenly asked me to pad up. Didn't have time to think about batting and it helped me," he added.
Interestingly, both India and South Africa came into the final undefeated. Moreover, the Rohit Sharma-led side became the first team to go undefeated in lifting the T20 World Cup.
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