India ends trophy drought, beat South Africa in T20 World Cup 2024 final
India took on South Africa in the Final of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29. India won the toss and opted to bat first. Rohit Sharma (9 off 5) and Rishabh Pant (0 off 2) departed early and Suryakumar Yadav (3 off 4) followed suit but Virat Kohli (76 off 59) and Axar Patel (47 off 31) forged a crucial stand of 72 runs for the fourth wicket. Shivam Dube (27 off 16) paired up with Kohli and the duo shared 57 runs. India posted a decent total of 176 for 7.
While chasing, Reeza Hendricks (4 off 5) and Aiden Markram (4 off 5) walked back inside the three overs. Quinton de Kock (39 off 31) and Tristan Stubbs (31 off 21) started turning things in South Africa’s favour. Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27) unleashed mayhem with David Miller (21 off 17) kept rotating strike in the start. Hardik Pandya delivered a nerve-wracking last over and defended the 16 runs and India won the T20 World Cup 2024 by seven runs.
Top Performers of the Match
Best Batter – Virat Kohli (76 off 59)
Virat Kohli steered the Indian innings after the team was three down inside five overs with 34 runs on the board. He built crucial partnerships with Axar Patel and Shivam Dube and helped India cross the par score. He smashed six boundaries and two maximums.
Best Bowler – Keshav Maharaj (3 for 20)
Hardik Pandya was the man of the moment for India. First up, he picked marauding Heinrich Klaasen’s wicket and India sensed a comeback. Defending 16 from the last over, he picked the ever-important wicket of David Miller and India breathed a sigh of relief. He then sent pinch hitter Kagiso Rabada packing and took India home.
