Ravi Shastri reveals why India, Pakistan match was his favorite World Cup moment

Former India captain and commentator Ravi Shastri recently shared his favorite moments from the T20 World Cup 2024, which saw India clinch the title on June 29 after a thrilling final against South Africa.

In the latest episode of the ICC Review podcast, Shastri highlighted the India vs Pakistan group match as a standout moment. He praised Jasprit Bumrah's crucial dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan, which he believed was a turning point in the game. Pakistan was well-positioned at 80/3 with Rizwan leading the chase, but Bumrah's key wicket shifted the momentum.

“I think India-Pakistan because India were made to fight there and realise what the right combination should be going forward in the tournament. That and then of course the final, those final five overs [from the T20 World Cup final],” Shastri said.

“I'd say one was Jasprit [Bumrah] getting Mohammad Rizwan. Extremely crucial, because that could have tilted the balance of the game. And it happened on the first ball of a new spell,” he further added.

Shastri also praised Bumrah's performance in the final against South Africa. He noted Bumrah’s impressive 16th over, where he conceded only four runs and took the critical wicket of Marco Jansen. This over was pivotal as India was struggling to maintain control.

“Brought back into the attack and then getting it to reverse and sneak through bat and pad [of Marco Jansen], I thought that was a very, very important wicket at that time,” Shastri recalled.

“Hardik [Pandya] had done the main damage by taking Klaasen [in the previous over] but I thought back-to-back, that over and that wicket was extremely important," he further added.

“He just showed the world what it takes and you know, it's not often in your career when you have a ball in your hand and you say, do this and the ball does that,” Shastri said of Bumrah.

Bumrah was named Player of the Tournament for his outstanding performance, taking 15 wickets at an average of 8.26. Shastri compared Bumrah’s skill to cricket legends like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shane Warne, praising his ability to control the game.

“Very few have done it, I thought Wasim [Akram] and Waqar [Younis] had it in their prime when they played white-ball cricket. Shane Warne had it where he could literally tell the ball, go there, pitch there, hit leg stump. People who are on top of the game have that ability. I think Bumrah had that in this World Cup," he concluded.