Is Rohit Sharma’s use of Jasprit Bumrah in T20 World Cup final coming under scrutiny? 'A lot of people must have questions…'

On June 29, 2024, Rohit Sharma achieved what previous captains had struggled to do for the past 13 years – lead India to a World Cup victory. Rohit, a standout candidate to break India's long drought, fulfilled the dreams of billions when India defeated South Africa by a margin of 7 runs to claim the T20 World Cup title. This triumph ended years of sorrow and disappointment for the Indian team. Following a heartbreaking loss in the ODI World Cup final at home in November the previous year, this victory was crucial to heal the wounds of November 19, 2023. The moment when the entire Indian team collapsed onto the ground in jubilation after Hardik Pandya sealed the victory by defending 16 runs in the final over was truly magical. It not only marked a perfect conclusion to the T20I careers of Rohit and Virat Kohli but also served as a fitting end to Rahul Dravid's tenure as the head coach of Team India.

In the final, Rohit took a gamble. With Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller going berserk, getting the equation down to 30 needed off 30 balls – regulation stuff given how T20s work, Rohit decided to bring on Jasprit Bumrah to finish his four overs. This meant that India wouldn't have him in the last two overs, but Rohit was aware that it was now or never. The skipper went with his gut instincts and what a masterstroke it turned out to be. Bumrah gave away just four wickets in the 16th over and just two more in the 17th, along with the wicket of Marco Jansen to put South Africa under pressure. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik then provided the finishing touches, but had it not been for those two overs of brilliance from Bumrah, India could have added 2024 as another example of what could have been.

That is Rohit for you. A dangerous batter but an even more instinctive captain. It was one of those calls that could have gone either way, but Rohit knew what Bumrah was capable of. In fact, Vikram Rathour, the former India batting coach, highlighted Rohit's tactical decisions as moments of brilliance, though he acknowledged that these moves often teeter on the edge of genius and sometimes drawing criticism.

"He is tactically very good as a captain. In the T20 World Cup final, he finished Bumrah's over early. A lot of people must have questioned that decision, but that decision put us in the situation, where 16 was needed in the last over. His tactical decisions on the field are spot on. Sitting outside It surprises you as a coach as well. We from outside sometimes think what he is doing but then you realise what he has done after a while," Rathour said on the podcast 'Find a way with Taruwar Kohli'.

'Never seen a captain who is as invested as Rohit'

Almost every youngster who has played under Rohit has nothing but positives to shower on the Indian captain. In the Test series against England, as many as five players made their debuts, and everyone – Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal already have their favourite Rohit Sharma story to narrate. As for the coaching staff, Rathour admits he is yet to come across a captain what is as involved as Rohit.

"His first quality is that as a batsman, he is a phenomenal player. I think he is someone who understands his game really well. He always has a clear game plan. Even as a leader, you will have to lead from the front. You have to perform to set the example. And since he has become the captain, he has always led by example," added Rathour.

"He is a player's captain. He is invested with the players heavily. I have never seen a captain, who is so invested in team meetings and strategies. He spends a lot of time on the team's strategy. He is part of the bowlers' meeting, batters meeting. He wants to sit with the bowlers and batters to try and understand what they are thinking. He invests a lot of time with the players."

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