India staged a miraculous comeback in the 2024 T20 World Cup final after Heinrich Klaasen took them to the cleaners. He targeted India’s quality spinners and changed the game completely in South Africa’s favour.

After Klaasen’s assault, the equation was reduced to a paltry 26 off 24 deliveries, with the two most dangerous deadly batsmen, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, at the crease. They had momentum on their side, even though Jasprit Bumrah had just settled down, giving away just four runs.

The packed crowd in Barbados was still recovering from Axar’s over when Klaasen took 24 runs, hitting him for four boundaries. The Indian dressing room had its shoulders hunched, with the familiarity of the last ten years resurfacing, with another heartbreak on the horizon.

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To make matters worse, Rishabh Pant suffered a knee problem and the physiotherapist was called for treatment. It was not until Rohit Sharma’s appearance on a show that revealed that Pant did this to break the opposition’s momentum and slow down the game; had no problem at all.

Rishabh Pant reveals more about injury trick during T20 World Cup 2024 final

In a show with Star Sports, Pant recalled the time he faked an injury to break the batting side’s momentum. He claimed he deliberately asked the physio to take his time and waste as much time as possible in the final moments.

“I was thinking about this because suddenly the momentum changed. There were a lot of runs in 2-3 overs. So I was thinking, when will this moment come again where you’re playing in a World Cup final? So I told the physio to take his time and keep wasting time. I was wondering if he was okay. I told him ‘I’m just acting’. Sometimes in a match situation like that, I’m not saying it always works, but sometimes it works. And if it works at that moment, you won’t want anything else.”

RISHABH PANTS – THE ONE WHO BREAKS THE MOMENTUM…!!! 😄👌

Pant narrated the story behind his injury during the T20 World Cup final when SA needed 26 off 24. [Star Sports] pic.twitter.com/7AeyHAnzdF

—Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 12, 2024

As it turned out, Pant’s trick worked wonders for the Men in Blue. Just after the break, Hardik Pandya made the biggest breakthrough for India, dismissing Klaasen in the first delivery of the 17th over.

We all know what happened next, when India ended a wait of more than ten years. Rishabh Pant has always been known for his tricks on the field and his fake injury produced the right result for the Men in Blue.

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