India's captain, Rohit Sharma, was overwhelmed with emotions following India's seven-run victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados on Saturday.
Rohit, who emerged as India's top scorer in the tournament, was visibly ecstatic as India ended their ICC title drought of over a decade, all without the presence of the legendary MS Dhoni.
Immediately after securing the title, Rohit touched the ground several times and even indulged in a unique celebration by consuming some of the soil from Kensington Oval's pitch, while his teammates continued their jubilant celebrations on the field.
The official 'X' account of Wimbledon shared images of Rohit and Novak Djokovic in similar celebratory actions, drawing comparisons between the two sporting icons.
Social media users were quick to notice Rohit's unconventional celebration, reminiscent of Djokovic's habit of eating grass after winning the Wimbledon Grand Slam, a ritual the Indian cricketer has openly admired in the past.
Rohit, a stalwart of T20 cricket who had participated in every edition of the T20 World Cup, announced his retirement from T20Is, following the footsteps of his teammate Virat Kohli. Both players will continue to represent India in ODIs and Test cricket.
In a tense final match, the Indian team displayed remarkable composure under pressure to defend their total of 176 runs, despite Heinrich Klaasen's aggressive 52 off 27 balls for South Africa. Hardik Pandya played a pivotal role, claiming crucial wickets and orchestrating a late resurgence to secure India's victory in the shortest format.
India's pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, contributed significantly by building pressure from the other end and taking the crucial wicket of Marco Jansen. Pandya returned in the final over to dismiss David Miller and Kagiso Rabada, limiting South Africa to 169/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Earlier in the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first but struggled initially, losing Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav early on, with the score at 34/3 after 4.3 overs. However, Virat Kohli played a crucial innings, scoring 76 off 59 balls, while Axar Patel contributed a brisk 47 off 31 balls to help India post a competitive total of 176/7.
