Kudos to Team India for their outstanding victory. What a thrilling and suspenseful ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final between two dominant sides.
With this victory, India has joined the West Indies and England as two-time Men’s T20 World Cup winners, and they bid head coach Rahul Dravid farewell. After the pinnacle of glory was reached, there were touching scenes in which people hugged, shook hands, and started crying in the Indian camp as “chak de india” and “lehra do” blasted over the speakers.
With a 59-ball 76 to cap off his poor run, talisman batsman Virat Kohli came up big to help India record a challenging 176/7, the highest total in a Men’s T20 World Cup final. India passed the 175-run threshold with 42 runs off the final three overs thanks to his 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, who made 47 off 31 balls, and his 57-run partnership with Shivam Dube, who hit a 16-ball 27.
In response, South Africa was clearly visible in their pursuit of the total. However, India’s victory to end an 11-year worldwide trophy drought was fueled by Hardik’s dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen, which allowed them to restrict South Africa to 169/8.
It also meant that, having won the World Cup trophy and Player of the Match in the championship match, Virat Kohli concluded his career as an Indian T20I player on a high note. With his clutch performance that included two sixes and six fours, Kohli proved to be the hero of India’s innings just when it counted most.
With 15 runs off the first over, Kohli got India going with three boundaries off overpitched deliveries from Marco Jansen: a drive past point, a whip through square leg, and a straight drive. With a cut and a reverse sweep, Rohit Sharma got things rolling and grabbed successive deliveries off Keshav Maharaj.
India was reduced to 34/3 in 4.3 overs when Kagiso Rabada struck in the fifth over as Suryakumar Yadav came over to whip a back-of-a-length ball. However, fine leg advanced to his left and collected a superb catch to fall for only three.
While Kohli assumed the role of a busy strike rotation player to rebuild India’s innings, pinch hitter Axar assumed responsibility for the attacking end, clipping Rabada for four, hitting a flat six down on one knee to just clear long-on for a six off Tabraiz Shamsi, clearing deep mid-wicket to get a six off Markram, and slog-sweeping Maharaj for a maximum over the same region.
In 13.1 overs, Axar reached India’s century by hitting Rabada for a six over the fence. However, after a ball and wide, South Africa created a magical moment when Kohli mishandled the ball and it fell behind to de Kock, who ran Axar out with a direct smash, sending him back for 47.
Dube came in to loft Jansen for six and then slog-sweep Shamsi for four more runs as Kohli was still finding fielders and lacked the timing to hit boundaries. With a single off Nortje, Kohli reached his maiden fifty of the tournament in 48 balls. Dube then finished the 17th over with a stroke beyond backward point for four.
After slugging Rabada over long on for six, Kohli got his first six of the match. He then removed the pacer for four more runs, as the 18th over yielded 16 runs. Before the pacer drew his length back and had the batsman holing out to long-on, Kohli clipped and slogged Jansen for four and six, respectively.
With 17 runs off the 19th over, Hardik Pandya entered and top-edged a pull off Jansen over the keeper’s head for four. Before the speedster responded by dismissing both Nortje and Ravindra Jadeja with the final three balls of the innings to help India reach a respectable score, Dube sent the ball down the ground past a diving mid-on for four.
The tournament’s top player By dismissing Reeza Hendricks with an outswinger in the second over, Bumrah provided India with the ideal beginning to their 177-run defence. In the next over, Arshdeep Singh struck after Pant dove to his right to secure the catch after Aiden Markram chased a wide wobble-seam ball.
Hardik Pandya’s short, wide delivery was first hit for six by Heinrich Klaasen, who then used his back foot to blast Ravindra Jadeja down the ground for another maximum. Klaasen produced the shot of the innings, standing motionless and deep in the crease to loft Kuldeep over extra cover for six.
In the 13th over, De Kock welcomed Arshdeep with a flipped four, but the hitter gave a catch to fine leg after attempting to pull. Miller joined in, putting Kuldeep for four with a cut and then pulling over mid-wicket for six by rocking back at the crease. 24 runs came off the 15th over as Klaasen once again sat deep in the crease to whack Axar down the ground for four. He then backed that up with two powerful leg-side sixes and a lofted drive over extra cover for another boundary.
Although Klaasen reached his fifty in twenty-three balls, it was Pant’s nicked delivery, which caused him to fall for fifty-two off twenty-seven deliveries, that proved to be the game-changing moment. Bumrah entered Castle Jansen through the gate as pressure mounted, finishing the day with a 2–18 score.
It was 16 needed off the final over after Arshdeep let up four runs in the 19th over. Miller attempted a loft off Hardik, but the ball flew off the toe-end. At long-off, Suryakumar rushed to launch the ball into the air, returned to the field to collect the catch, and put him out for 17 balls and 21 runs.
‘You have won hearts of crores of Indians’, says PM Modi as country erupts in joy
“WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 2024.My heart rate was up,well done on being calm, having the self belief and doing what u guys did. From all the Indians back home and everywhere in the world a big thank you for bringing the World Cup Home.CONGRATULATIONS.arreeee thanks for the priceless birthday gift,” wrote MS Dhoni.
Congratulating the Men in Blue, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Nadella said, “What a final. Congrats, India, and well played, South Africa. Super World Cup… let us have more cricket in the West Indies and USA.”
Alphabet and Google CEO Pichai posted on X: “What a game, could barely breathe, everything that makes sports incredible. Congrats India, so well deserved! SA was incredible. Amazing.”
“Reminding all of us that being a Superhero never comes without a fierce determination to win and a Never Give In attitude. Jai Ho!” Mahindra said.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said, “Rohit Sharma has made it. Emotions are really high, well-deserving victory for India. Many, many congratulations to them.
Brief Scores: India 176/7 (Virat Kohli 76, Axar Patel 47; Keshav Maharaj 2-23, Anrich Nortje 2-26) beat South Africa 169/8 (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Quinton de Kock 39; Hardik Pandya 3-20, Jasprit Bumrah 2-18) by seven runs