T20 World Cup 2024, Final, IND vs SA: Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya star as India beat South Africa and end 13-year World Cup drought.
Brief Scores: India 176/7 (Virat Kohli 76, Axar Patel 47, Keshav Maharaj 2/23) beat South Africa 169/8 (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Hardik Pandya 3/20) by 7 runs.
Player of the Match: Virat Kohli 76(59)
Player of the Tournament: Jasprit Bumrah 15 wickets
India produced a brilliant death-over bowling performance to win the T20 World Cup 2024 by 7 runs against South Africa at Bridgetown on Saturday. South Africa were cruising to victory, needing 30 runs off 30 balls. But India’s bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya stem the flow of runs to stop South Africa and eke out a 7-run win. This is India’s second World T20 triumph after winning the inaugural edition in 2007.
Virat Kohli guides India to 176/7
Virat Kohli began the innings with a flourish, striking three fours in the first over bowled by Marco Jansen. However, India lost Rohit Sharma in the second over itself as the captain swept a delivery off Keshav Maharaj straight to Heinrich Klaasen in the short square leg. Rishabh Pant fell two balls later to Maharaj top-edging a sweep to keeper Quinton de Kock. Suryakumar Yadav then holed out in the deep to Klaasen as India were reduced to 34/3.
Kohli then dropped anchor and played ones and twos while Axar Patel took on the bowling. Axar played a brilliant knock of a 31-ball 47 with a four and four sixes before he was run out after backing up too far. Kohli reached his fifty at almost run-a-ball and soon unleashed his big strokes at the death to take India to 176/7. Shivam Dube played a supporting hand with a vital cameo of a 16-ball 27.
Read More: Axar Patel: The potent cruise missile in Rohit Sharma’s armoury
South Africa grab defeat from jaws of victory
It was Jasprit Bumrah who drew first blood when he dismissed Reeza Hendricks; bowled for 4. Aiden Markram was then caught behind for 4 off Arshdeep Singh’s bowling. Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs then produced a stand of 58 runs in 6.2 overs to provide the platform for the chase. Stubbs fell for 31, bowled by Axar. De Kock looked in great touch at the other end, striking a 31-ball 39 before he holed out in the deep to Kuldeep off Arshdeep’s bowling. Klaasen then got into the act, tearing into the spinners, taking Axar’s fourth over for two sixes and two fours to turn the match in his team’s favour with 30 runs needed off the final five overs.
However, here’s where the turnaround happened. Pandya, who was bowling the 17th over got Klaasen to edge it behind to keeper Pant for a well-made 52. Bumrah and Arshdeep then provided the choke as South Africa’s middle-order failed to chase the remaining runs down. Bowling the last over, Pandya got the dangerous David Miller out after SKY took a brilliant juggling catch at the boundary. Eventually, India coasted home by 7 runs. They conceded just 22 runs, taking 4 wickets, in the last 5 overs.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2024, IND vs ENG: Axar, Kuldeep 3-fers derail England chase; India reach third Final
Statistical Highlights from India vs South Africa, Final
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India made the highest team total of 176/7 in a World T20 final. The previous best was 173/2 by Australia against New Zealand in 2021.
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Virat Kohli struck his first fifty of 2024 World T20 when he made 76 off 59 balls against South Africa.
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Rohit Sharma emerged the second highest run-getter in the 2024 World T20, scoring 257 runs at an average of 36.71 with 3 fifties. Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan is the highest run-getter with 281 runs at an average of 35.12 with 3 fifties.
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Arshdeep Singh is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets. He shares the record with Fazalhaq Farooqi of Afghanistan.
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Klaasen scored his maiden 2024 World T20 fifty when he cracked a 27-ball 52. It was also his maiden World T20 fifty in three editions.
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India won their second World T20 title after winning the inaugural edition under MS Dhoni in 2007.
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It was the last T20I for Virat Kohli. He ended his T20I career with 4122 runs with 38 fifties and one ton in 125 T20Is.
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India are the only team to win a World T20 being unbeaten throughout the whole tournament.
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