After India pulled off one of their great heists to lift the T20 World Cup trophy after beating South Africa by seven runs in the summit clash, skipper Rohit Sharma heaped praise on talismanic batter Virat Kohli for his masterclass and for stepping up when it mattered the most.

Kohli, who had struggled throughout the tournament with just 75 runs in seven games, ended his lean run with a crucial 76 off 59 balls, helping India post a competitive total of 176/7.

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Reflecting on Kohli’s impressive innings in the final, Rohit remarked that the team needed someone to bat as long as possible, and Virat executed that perfectly.

“Not me and nobody was in doubt about Virat’s form. We know the quality he has, he’s been on top of his game for 15 years. Come the occasion, the big players will stand up. Virat was holding that one end which was very crucial for us and the others played around him. For us to get to that total, it was a team effort.

“We wanted someone to bat as long as possible. These are not wickets where you can come and bat freely and keep the scoreboard ticking straight away, so we do understand that. We wanted somebody to bat as long as possible and Virat did that perfectly. That’s where the experience of Virat comes through,” Rohit said in a post-match interview.

Besides Virat, all-rounder Axar Patel once again proved his mettle and played a knock of 47 runs, stitching a 72-run partnership with Kohli for the fourth wicket.

“The other guys around played really well, Axar’s knock of 47 was very crucial as well,” Rohit added.

Chasing 177, South Africa appeared cruising towards victory with 30 needed from 30 balls. It was Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch near the boundary rope, Jasprit Bumrah’s two electrifying final overs, and Hardik Pandya’s two crucial wickets in the 20th over that helped India secure a memorable victory, ending their trophy drought of over a decade.

Speaking on Bumrah’s masterclass, the skipper said, “I can understand you guys trying to put it into words but I’ve been someone who has seen him for so many years, even playing alongside him, but even I don’t know what exactly is with him. I know exactly what he brings to the table but how he does that, it is just a masterclass.”

“He backs his skills which is more than enough and he is a very confident lad. Whatever he wants to do, he executes to perfection which is a very rare sight. Jasprit Bumrah, to put it in one word, he’s a class act,” said the India skipper who was playing his seventh T20 World Cup.

Hardik delivered a brilliant final over, claiming the crucial wicket of the dangerous David Miller. When Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada tried to keep the pressure on, the fast-bowling all-rounder dismissed Rabada to put the final nail in the coffin.

“Hardik was brilliant as well, bowling that last over, no matter how many runs are required, to bowl that last over, I am very proud of the boys,” Rohit further said.

This was India’s third ICC final in the past 12 months, and the Men in Blue finally ended their 11-year drought of a major title, winning the Men’s T20 World Cup, a feat they last achieved in the inaugural edition in 2007.

In the process, India overcame the final hurdle that had eluded them against Australia in Ahmedabad last November in the ODI World Cup final.

This is India’s fourth World Cup title overall — from Kapil Dev’s team in 1983 to Dhoni’s Young Guns in 2007 T20 WC and ODI champions in 2011. Now Rohit’s boys have added another chapter to the annuals of Indian cricket history.

Reflecting on the final victory, Rohit said, “It is very hard to sum up what we have been through for the last 3-4 years. We work very hard as a team, lot has gone on behind the scenes. It is not today, it is what we have been doing for the last 3-4 years. We have played lots of high-pressure games and come on the wrong side too.”

“But the guys understand what is to be done when the back is against the wall, we stuck together and the guys, all of us wanted to win this bad. I am very proud of these boys for giving us the liberty to play how we want and execute. And credit needs to go to the management as well,” he concluded.