India's long wait for a global trophy came to an end in 2024 when Rohit Sharma's side lifted the T20 World Cup in Barbados. The win was more than just another addition to the cabinet - it carried years of frustration, heartbreak and near-misses.
For Rohit and his teammates, the triumph was about breaking free from a cycle of close finishes and answering the growing desperation to reclaim cricket's biggest stages.
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Rohit Sharma reflects on India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph
Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Rohit opened up on why the title meant so much. He said the team had felt a collective urgency after missing out repeatedly on ICC trophies over the last decade.
“It was important not only for me but for everyone else too. India had last won the World Cup in 2011. We had come close many times but didn't win. So, that desperation was here among the players that we must win.”
“We were coming close but not winning. So, there was that desperation, urgency within the people, team that somehow we must win. That desperation played a huge role for us to win the World Cup,” Rohit said.
Rohit Sharma Speaking about how India won the World Cup after such a long gap.🗣️ pic.twitter.com/48jnkIehTt
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) August 28, 2025
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India ended a 13-year ICC trophy drought in Barbados
The Men in Blue defeated South Africa by seven runs in a tense final - defending a target of 177. The win ended India's 13-year wait for an ICC trophy and marked their first World Cup since the 2011 ODI win.
Rohit retired from T20Is after the final alongside Virat Kohli. He finished his career as the format's highest run-scorer with 4,231 runs in 159 matches.
With the win, Rohit also became only the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to lift the T20 World Cup - a fitting farewell to his T20I journey.