Bridgetown (Barbados) India vice-captain Hardik Pandya said he was confident of the opportunity to shine after a difficult few months ahead of the T20 World Cup, where he played a vital role in the team's title win.
Pandya scored 144 runs and took 11 wickets in the masterpiece, including a three for 20 in the final over to guide India to a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa.
"It's very emotional, something didn't add up, but this was something the whole nation wanted," Pandya told the broadcaster after the match.
“Especially for me, after my six months, I haven't said a word, things have been unfair, but I knew there would come a time when I could shine.
"An opportunity like this makes it even more special," said Pandya, who was the target of crowd ire during the last IPL after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain.
“We always believed, we stayed calm, we let the pressure get to them. Last time, I knew I had to execute my plans. I have been in this situation, I enjoy the pressure situation,” he added.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who took 15 wickets, said remaining clear and calm throughout the tournament worked for him.
"I tried to stay calm. We played this sport for this, I'm really delighted, my son is here, my family is here, we've been working really hard to achieve this, there's no better feeling than that," he said.
All-rounder Axar Patel, who scored 47 points in the final, said he wanted to do something for the country.
“It means everything to me. When I arrived at this World Cup, in recent years I was injured and I did not achieve that performance. I wanted to do something for India. Feel proud,” he said.
“I tried to keep it simple. I just thought of it as another game. That worked for me. When I went to bat, I didn’t think about what would happen if I came out,” he said.
Talking about the combination of captain Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid, Patel said, “Rohit is incredible. He led India very well in this tournament. “Rahul bhai asked us to enjoy, not put pressure on ourselves.”
“I thought I was going down the order. When we lost three wickets, Rahul bhai suddenly asked me to help me. I didn’t have time to think about batting and that helped me,” Patel described his innings.
Pandya scored 144 runs and took 11 wickets in the masterpiece, including a three for 20 in the final over to guide India to a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa.
"It's very emotional, something didn't add up, but this was something the whole nation wanted," Pandya told the broadcaster after the match.
“Especially for me, after my six months, I haven't said a word, things have been unfair, but I knew there would come a time when I could shine.
"An opportunity like this makes it even more special," said Pandya, who was the target of crowd ire during the last IPL after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain.
“We always believed, we stayed calm, we let the pressure get to them. Last time, I knew I had to execute my plans. I have been in this situation, I enjoy the pressure situation,” he added.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who took 15 wickets, said remaining clear and calm throughout the tournament worked for him.
"I tried to stay calm. We played this sport for this, I'm really delighted, my son is here, my family is here, we've been working really hard to achieve this, there's no better feeling than that," he said.
All-rounder Axar Patel, who scored 47 points in the final, said he wanted to do something for the country.
“It means everything to me. When I arrived at this World Cup, in recent years I was injured and I did not achieve that performance. I wanted to do something for India. Feel proud,” he said.
“I tried to keep it simple. I just thought of it as another game. That worked for me. When I went to bat, I didn’t think about what would happen if I came out,” he said.
Talking about the combination of captain Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid, Patel said, “Rohit is incredible. He led India very well in this tournament. “Rahul bhai asked us to enjoy, not put pressure on ourselves.”
“I thought I was going down the order. When we lost three wickets, Rahul bhai suddenly asked me to help me. I didn’t have time to think about batting and that helped me,” Patel described his innings.
