A determined India beat South Africa in a thrilling final to lift the T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup 2024
After the disappointment in Ahmedabad came a sliver of redemption in the Caribbean as India held their nerve at the end of a thrilling final to send the agony to South Africa and win the men’s T20 World Cup for the second time.
As Rohit Sharma’s men celebrated in the outfield, tricolors waving in the breeze after sealing a seven-run victory, the joy and relief was palpable. Theirs had been a relatively frictionless undefeated journey to the final, but so was that frustrated 50-over World Cup campaign at home late last year.
This time there was no collective freeze on the day, however, but rather 11 cool heads at the end of what had been a pressure cooker chase. South Africa, having reached their first men’s global final with eight consecutive victories, including some good and exciting ones, will look back on this one as the one that got away.
With 177 points to win after Virat Kohli’s 59-ball 76 brought India together in the first innings, the Proteas became favorites when Heinrich Klaasen hit five sixes in a 27-ball 52 and left them needing 26 runs from the last four overs. But then came a vice-like grip that will go down in Indian cricketing folklore, with Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh and the absolutely masterful Jasprit Bumrah giving away their captaincy.
Even when Klaasen fell to Pandya’s first ball of the 17th over, the trophy was within touching distance for the Proteas, given the presence of the experienced David Miller at the other end. But after watching Bumrah rattle Marco Jansen’s stumps amid a sublime 18th over that cost him two more, and then grafting just four off Arshdeep’s follow-up, the equation suddenly became a more daunting 16 sixes.
Pandya thundered to the finish and Miller tried to tackle him to the ground, only to see Suryakumar Yadav make a decisive catch in the deep, leaping in and out of the rope like a ballet dancer. These types of shots may have become de rigueur, but given the moment, it was breathtaking. It left Miller in tears at the end, forced to watch from the bench as Pandya rounded off his team’s victory.
“I’m proud of the boys,” Sharma said after their first World Cup win since 2011 and first in T20 cricket since the 2007 triumph that proved the catalyst for the Indian Premier League. “It was fantastic for the fans to support us from New York to Barbados. They’ve been waiting a long time, as have we.”
Sharma, needless to say, was thrilled for Kohli. With just 75 runs to his name going into the final, the former captain was central to a competitive 176 for six batting first. Racing out of the traps before slowing down after the fall of three powerplay wickets, Kohli calmly built towards a crescendo in which he cleared the ropes twice. “I have seen him play for so many years, but even I don’t know how he does it,” Sharma said.
Both Sharma and Kohli announced their retirement from T20 internationals in the aftermath, the latter saying: “It was a now or never situation. This is my last T20 game for India, it’s the last World Cup I would play, so I wanted to make the most of it.”
Aiden Markram, the impressive South Africa captain who has taken the men’s team further than ever before, said: “It’s just heartbreaking. That’s really it. Each player went through a different individual journey. And when you get really close like that, especially the nature of how the game went, it obviously heightens the emotions.”
This final was akin to fighters trading blows, particularly after Ravi Shastri did his best Michael Buffer impression at the toss. South Africa displayed the dynamic fielding that has long underpinned their cricket, with Klaasen, who took two brilliant catches as India slumped to 34 for three, at the forefront.
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Although it was not the absolute silence of 100 thousand people last November, these were setbacks felt in the stands. Although the pick was probably when wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s laser delivery past Axar Patel in the 14th over, displaying remarkable presence of mind in contrast to his slightly sleepy mark.
Yet Patel gave India momentum by getting the rope four times for a 31-ball 47 – including a mesmerising back-foot six off Kagiso Rabada – in a stand of 72 off 54 with Kohli more circumspect. It also rewarded a shrewd move by Rahul Dravid to promote the left-hander in his final match as India coach.
With Shivam Dube adding 27 off 16 balls and Kohli eventually flourishing at the back end by scoring 26 off his last 11 deliveries, South Africa needed to chase the highest target set in a men’s T20 World Cup final. When the Proteas fell to 12 for two in the third over, that seemed unlikely.
This partly came down to Bumrah’s clear and obvious threat. Their tournament of wickets and choking had another entry into the highlight reel when Reeza Hendricks’ stump was rocked by a delivery that angled in and away. It was a ball that probably would have vaporized most righties.
South Africa fought back with character, however, De Kock (39) finding two resolute partners in Tristan Stubbs (31) and Klaasen for stands of 36 and 45. Even when De Kock fell to Ashdeep – the left-hander finishing with two for 24 – Klaasen responded with a moosing 24 in Patel’s 16th over.
But Sharma’s triumvirate of dressmakers — and Yadav’s dancing feet in the deep — were very good that day, exorcising the demons of the past year and, as their supremo Jay Shah had promised supporters afterwards, planting their flag in Barbados.
