'The accident Rishabh had, I thought he was...': Rohit Sharma's fresh claim on Pant's 'fake injury' during T20WC final
One of the most told stories about the World Cup win was how Rishabh Pant faked an injury to break South Africa's momentum in the chase, which was followed by Heinrich Klaasen's game-changing dismissal.
Speaking on 'The Great Indian Kapil Show', Rohit had credited Pant for the clever use of the loophole, which helped India regroup after Klaasen took Axar Patel to the cleaners. ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma's candid admission on T20 World Cup win: 'Didn't sleep whole night before final, was really nervous'
"When South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, just before that, there was a small break. Pant used his intelligence to pause the game - he had a knee injury, so he had his knee taped, which helped slow down the game - because the game was fast-paced, and at that moment, all a batter wants is the ball to be bowled quickly. But we had to break the rhythm. As I was setting the field and talking to bowlers, suddenly I saw Pant fallen on the ground. The physiotherapist had arrived and was taping his knee. Klassen was waiting for the match to start again. I am not saying it's the only reason, but it could be one of them - Pant Sahab used his smarts and things worked out in our favour," he had said.
However, in a fresh claim made on the incident, the former India T20I captain said that he initially felt Pant was truly injured. The 37-year-old felt the wicketkeeper-batter had hurt his knee, which had suffered a blow in the tragic car accident in 2022.
"See, Hardik has come to bowl there. So, we were discussing with Hardik what to do. I didn't know what had happened before. I genuinely thought that something had happened to him. The accident he had, I thought he was just trying to. But actually, it was just to stop the game a little bit. The momentum was with them. So, it was very important to break that. So, I think we went back to that. Eventually, Hardik dismissed Klaasen," he told Star Sports in an interview. How did Pant's act disrupt South Africa's plan?
Klaasen was in complete control of the chase, with the Proteas needing 26 off the last 24 balls. A well-set David Miller was also at the crease. However, just when the India captain was setting the field for the next over and was having a word with bowler Hardik Pandya, he noticed Pant was down on the ground with the team physio attending to him.
When play resumed after the short delay, Pandya removed Klaasen, before Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Marco Jansen with an in-swinger that would get most top-order batters out. Hardik and Arshdeep Singh applied the brakes from the other end as India choked South Africa to win the match by seven runs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
9 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rishabh Yadav's bronze only bright spot as Indian compound archers flop at World Games
Youngster Rishabh Yadav's bronze medal was the saving grace on a disappointing day for Indian compound archers at the World Games in Chengdu on Saturday (August 9,. 2025) as the top-seeded mixed team crashed out in the opening round. None of the women contenders could make it to the podium, adding to the gloom. Yadav, seeded 10th, produced a flawless display to beat senior teammate and multiple World Cup gold medallist Abhishek Verma 149-147 in the men's individual compound bronze medal match. Verma, who qualified as the fifth seed, trailed by one point after the first end (29-30) as Yadav opened with three perfect 10s. The second end was tied at 29-all, but Yadav maintained his narrow advantage. Both archers shot three perfect 10s in the third end, before Yadav capitalised on a single-point drop by Verma in the fourth to stretch his lead to 119-117. Maintaining his composure, the 22-year-old Yadav drilled three more arrows into the 10-ring in the final end to seal the win without dropping a single point in his last nine arrows. In the semifinals, Yadav had lost 145-147 to American Curtis Lee Broadnax while Verma went down 145-148 to top seed Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands. India's challenge in the women's individual compound section ended in the quarterfinals. Parneet Kaur, 12th seed, was beaten 140-145 by Colombia's fourth seed Alejandra Usquiano, while third seed Madhura Dhamangaonkar lost 145-149 to Estonia's sixth seed Lisell Jaatma. Mixed team concern The biggest disappointment, however, came in the mixed compound event. Having topped the qualification round, the Indian pair of Verma and Madhura entered as favourites but succumbed to their familiar nemesis, South Korea, in the very first round. The duo lost 151-154 to Moon Yeeun and Lee Eunho, bringing curtains on the Indian campaign. No one is competing in the recurve category. The Koreans edged the first end 38-37 before stepping on the gas with a perfect second end, while the Indians faltered with a 27 to fall four points behind. The third end was tied 37-37, and although the Indians edged the final end 40-39, it was too late. The result was particularly alarming given the eight-team draw required just two wins to secure a medal, and with the mixed compound team event set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, the early exit exposed both pressure-handling issues and tactical shortcomings that has ailed the Indian archers at the highest level. Denmark's Mathias Fullerton and Sofie Louise Dam Marcussen won the compound mixed team title, beating Mexico 156-155. This competition set the stage for something much bigger; the debut of the compound mixed team competition at the LA28 Olympic Games in three years, and the Danish compound elite are itching to be a part of it. "The Olympics opens up so many things for funding and stuff like that,' Fullerton told World Archery website. "And now we've really proved that we can do it. Denmark is a small country, but one of the best there is. So I'm super happy that we got to show it here."
News18
19 minutes ago
- News18
Yadavs bronze only bright spot as Indian compound archers flop at World Games
Agency: Chengdu (China), Aug 9 (PTI) Youngster Rishabh Yadav's bronze medal was the saving grace on a disappointing day for Indian compound archers at the World Games here Saturday as the top-seeded mixed team crashed out in the opening round. None of the women contenders could make it to the podium, adding to the gloom. Yadav, seeded 10th, produced a flawless display to beat senior teammate and multiple World Cup gold medallist Abhishek Verma 149-147 in the men's individual compound bronze medal match. Verma, who qualified as the fifth seed, trailed by one point after the first end (29-30) as Yadav opened with three perfect 10s. The second end was tied at 29-all, but Yadav maintained his narrow advantage. Both archers shot three perfect 10s in the third end, before Yadav capitalised on a single-point drop by Verma in the fourth to stretch his lead to 119-117. Maintaining his composure, the 22-year-old Yadav drilled three more arrows into the 10-ring in the final end to seal the win without dropping a single point in his last nine arrows. In the semifinals, Yadav had lost 145-147 to American Curtis Lee Broadnax while Verma went down 145-148 to top seed Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands. India's challenge in the women's individual compound section ended in the quarterfinals. Parneet Kaur, 12th seed, was beaten 140-145 by Colombia's fourth seed Alejandra Usquiano, while third seed Madhura Dhamangaonkar lost 145-149 to Estonia's sixth seed Lisell Jaatma. Mixed team concern ============= The biggest disappointment, however, came in the mixed compound event. Having topped the qualification round, the Indian pair of Verma and Madhura entered as favourites but succumbed to their familiar nemesis, South Korea, in the very first round. The duo lost 151-154 to Moon Yeeun and Lee Eunho, bringing curtains on the Indian campaign. No one is competing in the recurve category. The Koreans edged the first end 38-37 before stepping on the gas with a perfect second end, while the Indians faltered with a 27 to fall four points behind. The third end was tied 37-37, and although the Indians edged the final end 40-39, it was too late. The result was particularly alarming given the eight-team draw required just two wins to secure a medal, and with the mixed compound team event set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, the early exit exposed both pressure-handling issues and tactical shortcomings that has ailed the Indian archers at the highest level. Denmark's Mathias Fullerton and Sofie Louise Dam Marcussen won the compound mixed team title, beating Mexico 156-155. This competition set the stage for something much bigger; the debut of the compound mixed team competition at the LA28 Olympic Games in three years, and the Danish compound elite are itching to be a part of it. 'The Olympics opens up so many things for funding and stuff like that," Fullerton told World Archery website. 'And now we've really proved that we can do it. Denmark is a small country, but one of the best there is. So I'm super happy that we got to show it here." PTI TAP AT AT view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
39 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Top 5 South Africa players to look out for during T20I series vs Australia
After falling just short in a tri-series final against New Zealand in Zimbabwe, South Africa shift their attention to a crucial three-match series against Australia, a vital preparation phase ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. With several senior players returning, including captain Aiden Markram and pace ace Kagiso Rabada, the squad looks more balanced, yet the emphasis remains on experimentation and squad development. The emergence of promising talents like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, and Kwena Maphaka is central to South Africa's evolving strategy, as they aim to solidify their bench strength while fine-tuning roles across departments. This series offers a valuable platform for both youth and experience to shine on Australian soil. Here are top 5 players from South Africa you need to look out for during the upcoming T20I series against Australia - Dewald Brevis - Dewald Brevis has quickly emerged as a key player to watch ahead of South Africa's T20I series against Australia. He showed encouraging form during the recent Zimbabwe tri-series, finishing as South Africa's top run-scorer with 133 runs at a blistering strike rate of 187.32. While he couldn't take his side over the line in the final, his intent and power-hitting were hard to miss. These were Brevis' first T20Is since debuting against Australia in 2023, and his progress since then has been closely tracked. With the 2026 T20 World Cup approaching, Brevis looks primed for a crucial middle-order role. Lhuan dre Pretorius - Lhuan-dre Pretorius is another exciting young talent to keep an eye on in South Africa's T20I series against Australia. Included in the white-ball squad for the Darwin tour, Pretorius brings strong form and confidence, having finished as the top run-scorer in the SA20 earlier this year. His ability to score quickly and adapt to different match situations makes him a valuable asset in the middle order. With South Africa looking to build a flexible and fearless batting unit ahead of the T20 World Cup, Pretorius will be eager to translate his domestic dominance onto the international stage against a high-quality Aussie attack. Kwena Mphaka - Still just 19, Kwena Maphaka is quickly establishing himself as one of South Africa's most exciting young fast-bowling prospects and a definite player to watch in the upcoming T20I series against Australia. Fast-tracked into the senior setup, Maphaka has already featured in two Tests, two ODIs, and eight T20Is, collecting 18 international wickets across formats, an impressive return for someone so early in their career. His raw pace, aggression, and ability to strike early make him a serious threat, even against seasoned batting line-ups. Against a powerful Australian top order, Maphaka could have a breakout moment on the big stage. Kagiso Rabada - Leading the pace attack again for the Proteas, Rabada is always a player to have your eyes on as he looks to take his side through to the finish line once again against a fierce threat by the Aussies in white-ball formats this time. Aiden Markram - Skipper Markram was pretty influential in the sides' triumph at Lord's against the Australians in the WTC final as his match winning final handed the title to his side. With the change in formats, Markam would be hoping to produce similar heroics in order to get the better of the a side that is ranked higher than them at the moment.
