Mast Acting Kar Raha Hain: Rishabh Pant Admits Faking Knee Injury During T20 World Cup 2024 Final Vs SA

Days after India captain Rohit Sharma revealed that Rishabh Pant ‘faked’ a knee injury to break South Africa’s momentum in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, the wicketkeeper-batter shared what really happened on that fateful day in June.

Speaking on The Great Indian Kapil Show, Pant discussed the incident, which occurred during South Africa’s chase in the final at Barbados.

With just 26 runs needed off 24 balls, and the well-set Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the crease, the momentum was firmly in South Africa’s favor. As Rohit Sharma was setting the field for the next over, Pant went down with an apparent knee injury, with the team physio attending to him.

Rohit later admitted that Pant’s ‘injury’ delay helped disrupt South Africa’s flow. Although Rohit didn’t attribute the entire victory to that moment, he acknowledged Pant’s tactical move as a key factor in India’s title win.

Pant Opens Up on the ‘Fake Injury’ Incident

During a conversation on Star Sports, Pant admitted that he faked the injury to shift the momentum back to India.

“They had scored plenty of runs in 2-3 overs, and I was wondering when we would get the moment to win the World Cup final,” Pant said.

The 25-year-old recounted how he asked the physio to take his time, buying India a few crucial minutes. When Rohit asked if his knee was fine, Pant confessed, “I was just acting. Sometimes you have to do these things in matches. I’m not saying it always works, but when it does, especially in such a moment, it’s worth it.”

The Match-Turning Moment

From the 17th over, India managed to regain control. Hardik Pandya dismissed Klaasen, and Jasprit Bumrah bowled Marco Jansen with a brilliant in-swinger. Both Hardik and Arshdeep Singh tightened the screws on South Africa’s chase, leading India to a 7-run victory and ending their 13-year wait for a World Cup title.

This was Pant’s first ICC tournament after returning from a long injury layoff, making his role in the final even more significant.