AFTER 13 YEARS, A WORLD COUP: 17 years after winning the 1st T20 World Cup, 13 years after winning their 2nd ODI World Cup, and after 2 heartbreaking losses in the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup finals in 2023, India finally ended their title drought, edging out South Africa by 7 runs in a thriller that went down to the last over.
WISH TEAM INDIA ON WINNING T20 WORLD CUP
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the 2 highest run-getters in T20Is, ended their international T20 careers.
A look at the game, in all its swinging glory:
India score 15 off the 1st over as Kohli races to 14 off 5 balls, but then tumble to 34/3Kohli goes into a shell as India rebuild, eventually gets to 50 off 48 balls - his slowest T20 half-ton ever. Doesn't hit a boundary from the 4th over to the 18thPromoted to No. 5, Axar Patel responds with a useful 47 off 31 balls but is brilliantly run out by SA keeper Quinton de KockShivam Dube contributes 27 off 16 balls even as Kohli accelerates at the death before falling for a 59-ball 76 - 1 more than his aggregate of 75 runs in 7 matches before the finalIndia score 42 runs in the last 3 overs to finish at 176/7, the highest total in a T20 WC finalBumrah and Arshdeep strike to reduce SA to 12/2. Tristan Stubbs and de Kock counter-attack, and Heinrich Klaasen slams 52 off 33 ballsNeeding 30 to win off 30 balls with 6 wickets in hand, SA seem set for victory. But Hardik Pandya dismisses Klaasen and India begin to extract victory from the jaws of defeatBumrah (2/18) and Arshdeep (2/21) bowl superbly at the death. Pandya, booed throughout the IPL, has to defend 16 in the final overSuryakumar Yadav pulls off an unbelievable catch to dismiss David Miller. Rabada swings lustily but it's a Bridge(town) too far for SA
SKY Is Not The Limit
Catches win matches, goes the maxim. This one won the World Cup. With SA needing 16 in 6 balls, Miller hit Hardik for what looked like a sure sixer till Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) ran full tilt, grabbed the ball, lobbed it into the air as he went over the ropes, and then stepped back to complete a catch that became an instant legend. A couple of inches literally made all the difference for India and SA.
