India has won the ICC T20 World Cup for the second time by defeating South Africa in the final. The Indian team had previously won the World Cup in 2007. The hero of India’s victory was Virat Kohli, who played an innings of 76 runs. He was awarded the Player of the Match. The final match was very thrilling, and India clinched the victory in the last over. Every Indian cricketer was teary-eyed after the win.
Here’s How India Scripted Victory in the Clutch Moments
Axar Patel came to bowl the 15th over of South Africa’s innings, and Heinrich Klaasen scored 24 runs in that over, pushing India completely on the backfoot at one point. After 15 overs, South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls to win. However, Bumrah, in his next over, conceded only four runs. Hardik, who bowled the 17th over, took Klaasen’s wicket on the very first ball and gave away just four runs in the over.
Bumrah, bowling the 18th over, gave away only two runs in his final over and took a wicket as well. By this time, the Indian team had made a comeback in the match. In the 15th, 16th, and 17th overs combined, the South African team managed to score only 10 runs. Arshdeep, who bowled the 19th over, bowled brilliantly, conceding just six runs and making the match even more thrilling. India had to defend 16 runs in the final over to become champions, and Hardik conceded only eight runs, securing the championship for India.
Long Wait of 17 Years for a T20 World Cup Trophy Comes to an End
India had won the T20 World Cup in 2007, but since then, Team India had never won the T20 World Cup again. India did reach the final in 2014, but they lost there. With this victory, India has also shed the “chokers” tag that had been attached to them over the past decade, as this is India’s first ICC title since the 2013 T20 World Cup.
Also Read: T20 World Cup Stats: Most Runs, Most Wickets, Highest Score, Lowest Score & More
South Africa Choked Again
The South African team, which had earned the tag of “chokers,” choked once again in this match. The South African team managed to score 169 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. The highest run-scorer for South Africa was Heinrich Klaasen, who played an innings of 52 runs. Besides him, Quinton de Kock scored 39 runs. For India, Hardik Pandya took three wickets, while Bumrah and Arshdeep took two wickets each.
India’s Fighting Inning
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Indian team scored 176 runs in 20 overs, thanks to Virat Kohli’s 76-run innings. India lost the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav at the score of 34, but then the partnership between Axar Patel and Virat Kohli led to a brilliant comeback for Team India. The duo shared a 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket. After that, Axar Patel got out after scoring 47 runs.
The highest run-scorer for India was Virat Kohli, who played an innings of 76 runs off 59 balls, including six fours and two sixes. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje took two wickets each. In this match being played at Kensington Oval in Barbados, both India and South Africa went in with unchanged teams.
India and South Africa’s Playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2024 Final
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
South Africa Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
