India’s legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh got emotional after India Champions beat Pakistan Champions in World Championship of Legends 2024 final by five wickets at Edgbaston, Birmingham on July 13. Irfan Pathan finished the run chase in the final over with style as India avenged the comprehensive defeat to Pakistan at the league stage.
After the win, Harbhajan hugged Irfan and lifted him. The Turbanator got a little teary-eyed as well. Later, in a post-match interaction with the broadcasters, he said, "Winning the Championship and winning against Pakistan means a lot. Chak de India!".
Earlier, Harbhajan bowled just one over in the match and conceded eight runs as Shoaib Malik hit him for a six. Yuvraj Singh did not give another over to Harbhajan in the innings. Despite Malik's 41-run knock and Sohail Tanvir's late unbeaten cameo, Pakistan managed to post 156/6 on the board.
In the run chase, Harbhajan did not need to bat. Ambati Rayudu's half-century, Gurkeerat Singh Mann's patient 34 and Yusuf Pathan's 16-ball 30 cameo helped India win the game with five balls to spare.
Harbhajan’s numbers in WCL 2024
Harbhajan turned out to be India's highest wicket-taker in the tournament. The off-spinner took eight wickets from seven games at an average of 15. His best bowling display was against South Africa Champions. He took four wickets for 25 runs against the Proteas. His bowling figures are the third-best in the tournament. No other Indian bowler bagged a four-fer in the tournament.
Younis reacts to Pakistan’s loss in final
Pakistan captain Younis Khan admitted that India were better than them in all departments of the game. He blamed lack of partnerships for not being able to post a big total on the board.
"Congratulations to India, they played like legends," Younis Khan said. "They were spot on in all three departments.
"We planned to put up a total on the board but having partnerships is mandatory in the final. India made some partnerships which helped them to chase down the total. We couldn't replicate our batting performance of the semi-finals where we stitched some partnerships," he added.
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