It was South Africa's game to lose when they needed run-a-ball 30 with plenty of wickets in hand in the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados.
At that moment, the physios came out for Rishabh Pant, who needed some attention on his leg.
Previously, skipper Rohit Sharma praised Pant for showing his smartness in snapping South Africa's momentum, which allowed India to bounce back and claim the title in the end.
Reacting to that, Pant also admitted that it was indeed a ploy to slow the game down through his 'acting.'
"I was thinking about this. Because suddenly, the momentum shifted. There were a lot of runs in 2-3 overs. So, I was thinking, when will this moment come again when you are playing in a World Cup final. So, I was telling the physio that you take your time, keep wasting the time," Pant said at an event on Star Sports.
"He was asking me if I was okay. I told him I'm just acting. Sometimes in such a match situation, I am not saying that it works every time, But sometimes it works. And if it works in such a moment, you want nothing else."
India went on to win the final by seven runs and claim their second T20 World Cup title.
Recalling the incident involving Pant, Rohit had said, "When South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, just before that, there was a small break. Pant used his intelligence to pause the game - he had a knee injury, so he had his knee taped, which helped slow down the game - because the game was fast-paced, and at that moment, all a batter wants is the ball to be bowled quickly. But we had to break the rhythm.
"As I was setting the field and talking to bowlers, suddenly, I saw Pant fall on the ground. The physiotherapist had arrived and was taping his knee. Klassen was waiting for the match to start again. I am not saying it's the only reason, but it could be one of them - Pant Sahab used his smarts and things worked out in our favour."
