Rohit Sharma's Indian team capped off an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy by defeating South Africa by a narrow margin of seven runs to win the T20 World Cup 2024 title on June 29. This win marks a significant moment for Indian cricket, putting an end to a long period without a major international title. India's victory marks the end of an agonizing 10-year ICC trophy drought. Their last triumph came in 2013 under MS Dhoni's captaincy, when they clinched the Champions Trophy. Since then, India had reached five ICC tournament finals across formats, only to fall short each time. Today's win finally breaks the jinx, making Rohit Sharma just the third Indian captain to lift an ICC trophy.
India's pace attack emerged as the heroes in a dramatic T20 World Cup final at Kensington Oval. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh combined to dismantle the South African chase after they had brought the equation down to a manageable 30 runs required from the last 3 overs.
Hardik Pandya became the star of the show, defending a tense last over that required 16 runs. Overcome with emotion, he shed tears as India secured a narrow victory. In a touching display of camaraderie, captain Rohit Sharma embraced his Mumbai Indians teammate Hardik in celebration.
India's fearless approach throughout the tournament was rewarded with their long-awaited ICC trophy. Virat Kohli's crucial knock of 76, Axar Patel's valuable 47, and a combined bowling effort from the pacers (especially considering the spinners' struggles) proved decisive. This thrilling finish will be etched in T20 World Cup history, a testament to India's nerves of steel and the culmination of billions of fans' dreams.
South Africa, playing in their first World Cup final, suffered a heartbreaking defeat. Despite Heinrich Klaasen's valiant knock of 50 (playing for SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL), their inexperience in high-pressure finals ultimately cost them. Klaasen challenged India's spin attack, but the pace bowlers held their nerve and sealed the victory for India.
Batting first, India rode on Virat Kohli's calculated knock to post a challenging total of 176/7. In reply, South Africa choked again despite Heinrich Klaasen's heroics and ran out of steam in the last and lost the match by seven runs.
Earlier, India's batting display in the T20 World Cup final started with a shaky performance and a concerning loss of wickets. Captain Rohit Sharma (9) was dismissed early after attempting a sweep shot off Keshav Maharaj, followed by Rishabh Pant also falling victim to the same shot. The dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav (3) by Kagiso Rabada left India reeling at a precarious 34/3 within the powerplay. This was the slowest start India had throughout the tournament in the Caribbean leg. However, Virat Kohli, who had begun aggressively with three boundaries off Marco Jansen in the first over, adapted his approach. He played a cautious innings, focusing on anchoring the team while allowing Axar Patel to take on the more attacking role. Axar impressed with a brilliant knock, potentially his best in T20 cricket. He countered the South African spinners effectively, hitting sixes off Aiden Markram, Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi. Notably, he also sent a powerful straight six off Rabada. The partnership between Kohli and Axar proved crucial in reviving India's innings. They built a solid 72-run stand off 54 balls before Axar's unfortunate dismissal. He was run out by a direct hit from Quinton de Kock while attempting a quick single. Shivam Dube (27 off 16) provided a much-needed boost in the later stages with some quick runs. Kohli, at the other end, continued to anchor the innings and even managed to hit a couple of sixes in the last five overs. Despite losing three wickets in the final stretch, India managed to post a competitive total of 176 runs on the board. Credit goes to Axar Patel for his impressive knock and Kohli for his anchoring role, both of whom played pivotal roles in India's recovery after a shaky start.
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