Ravi Shastri calls match referee ‘punching bag’, leaves Rohit Sharma and Aiden Markram in splits at T20 WC final toss
Ravi Shastri at the toss of India vs South Africa T20 World Cup final
The toss in any cricket match is an event of note. The focus on it rises a few notches if the match is the final of a T20 World Cup. All eyes are glued to the flip of the coin, especially if Ravi Shastri is the one conducting it. The former India head coach has made a name for himself by conducting the toss most entertainingly in important cricket matches. His wordings and antics at the toss have often left captains in splits. It was no different in the T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa.
India captain Rohit Sharma and his South African counterpart Aiden Markram could not stop laughing when Shastri continued his punch and counter-punch references.
"In the green corner, ready to land an uppercut for the first time, in South Africa captain Aiden Markram," said Shahstri while introducing Markram. "And punching all the way through the tournament is Rohit Sharma," he said.
The biggest laugh from the ones present at the toss was when Shastri addressed match referee Richie Richardson as the punching bag. "West Indies' very own, the one there to keep things calm and be the potential punching bag is match referee Richie Richardson," said Shastri, leaving Markram, Rohit and the West Indies great himself in splits.
India captain Rohit called it right and had no hesitation in opting to bat first, expecting the pitch to slow down as the match goes on.
The toss was held in bright sunshine and with a gusty wind blowing across the 28,000 capacity venue which is expected to be sold out for the game.
Rohit and Markram both named unchanged line-ups from the teams which won their respective semi-finals.
The possibility of stormy weather over the weekend, with some rain forecast for Saturday, had raised concerns among organisers but as early arrivals began taking their seats there was no sign of rain.
The final concludes a near month-long tournament, held in the USA and the Caribbean and features two teams who have yet to lose in the competition.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
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