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T20 World Cup: For every disappointment on November 19, 2023, there is joy on June 24, 2024. For every setback on November 10, 2022, there is a triumph on June 27, 2024. And now, after 11 years of heartbreaks, June 29, 2024, will be remembered forever in Indian cricket history as the day they ended their 11-year wait for an ICC title.
India Ends 11-Year ICC Title Drought with T20 World Cup Victory
India defeated South Africa by seven runs in a nail-biting final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday to be crowned the T20 World Cup champions of the world. This tournament was all about redemption for India. They had already avenged the ODI World Cup final defeat by putting Australia on the brink in the Super Eight stage and then giving England a drubbing in the semi-final in reply to the pasting they had got in the last edition in Adelaide.
In the big final between two unbeaten teams with no titles in the last 10 years, India came out on top. They owe their victory to Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled brilliantly when it mattered most.
They should also thank Hardik Pandya for bowling the 17th over and giving away only four runs, including the crucial wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, and then defending 15 runs in the final over. He cried with joy afterward, having endured a tough few months. It was fitting that Hardik was leading in the critical moments.
He had bowled under high pressure before, like in the 2016 World T20 against Bangladesh, but this was the final, and he was flawless. Suryakumar Yadav also helped with a fantastic catch to dismiss David Miller at the start of the 20th over. Arshdeep Singh deserves thanks too, for bowling the 19th over under immense pressure and allowing only four runs against Miller and Keshav Maharaj.
India was buried deep by Klaasen. The South African powerhouse smashed Axar Patel for 24 runs in the 15th over, bringing up the fastest-ever fifty in the T20 World Cup finals off just 23 balls, and cutting the equation down to thirty runs off thirty balls.
How Bumrah Swung the Game in India’s Favour
That’s when a desperate Rohit Sharma called on Bumrah. And he delivered. At first, a four-run over applied a break to the South African momentum. Then, in the 18th over, he hit Marco Jansen’s leg stump with a delivery that would have gotten an opener out on Day 1 of a Test matchMaharaj managed to block the last two balls, but Bumrah had already done his job. His last over went for only two runs as he finished with staggering figures of 2/18. Hardik came and completed the formalities.
Choosing to bat on a dry pitch, India recovered from losing early wickets to score a solid 176/7. Virat Kohli scored his first fifty of the World Cup with 76 runs, and Axar Patel added 47, helping India reach a strong total. Their 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket brought India back in the game after they lost Rohit, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar inside the Powerplay.
Kohli slowed considerably, unable to hit a boundary for 35 balls. He finally broke the shackles with a beautiful swing over long-on off Kagiso Rabada in the 18th over. That was his first boundary since the fourth over of the match. He hit two fours and another six before getting holed out in the long-on fence. Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj claimed two wickets apiece for South Africa. The Proteas suffered a top-order collapse of their own, but Quinton de Kock (39) and Tristan Stubbs (31) put their chase back on track. Klaasen (52) then counter-attacked spectacularly but India’s impeccable death-overs bowling restricted South Africa to 169/8.
