India are T20 world champions

India survived a rollercoaster of emotions and justified their title of favorites as they stormed to their second ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup title with a seven-run win against South Africa on Saturday in a thrilling finish to the final here in Barbados.

Superior “death bowling” from the Indians enabled them to end their 13-year wait for a world title after a resolute 76 from Virat Kohli saved them from a shaky start, and gave the South Africans their highest total in a T20 World Cup final of 177 under cloudy skies at Kensington Oval.

The match came down to the Proteas needing 30 off the last 30 balls, but top scorer Heinrich Klaasen’s wicket fell behind pacer Hardik Pandya for 52 in the 17th over, making the match decisive in favor of the world No. 1 the format came. .

Ungainly fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah – later named Player of the Tournament – ​​conceded just two runs, bowling Marco Jansen for two in the next over, and South Africa needed 20 from the final two overs.

Arshdeep Singh, who wears the turban, conceded just four off the penultimate over and the match came down to Pandya having to defend 16 off the last six balls to take the Indians over the finish line.

Pandya got David Miller caught at long-off from the first ball for 21 runs as Suryakumar Yadav tiptoed along the boundary rope to hold on to a brilliant catch. The pacer held his nerve for the remaining five balls and ensured India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

The victory was a source of joyful and emotional celebrations for the Indians after losing the final of the World Test Championship and the One-day International World Cup against Australia last year, with the latter tournament played on home soil.

Unfortunately, the South Africans – unbeaten in their eight matches leading up to the final – will have to continue to carry the unwanted label of ‘chokers’ for some time to come after their chance to end their agonising wait for a first world title slipped away.

It has been 32 years since the Proteas were allowed back into the sport after two decades of isolation due to the apartheid system that previously existed in the country. Reaching the final – the first time in eight attempts in a global tournament – ​​was a big step towards shaking off that label – but they blew it.

A near capacity crowd, including national hero Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Guyana President Irfaan Ali, and the Prime Ministers of Antigua & Barbuda and St. Lucia, Gaston Browne and Philip J. Pierre, were treated to a fitting finale to the tournament.

Kohli hit six fours – including three in the first over of the match – and two sixes from 59 balls, and India reached 176 for seven after opting to bat.

He shared consecutive half-century stands with left-handers Axar Patel and Shivam Dube to revive the Indian innings after left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj struck twice in the space of three balls in the second over, and they limped to 45 for three at the second over. end of the power game.

Patel made 47 runs from 31 balls, including one four and four sixes, to share 72 runs for Kohli’s fourth wicket, but he was bowled out in the 14th over just when it looked like the duo would assert themselves further.

Dube made 27 from 16 balls, including four fours and one six, and put on 57 for the fifth wicket with Kohli, but they were both dismissed in the final two overs of the innings in an attempt to significantly increase the total.

Bumrah gave India a good start to their defense when he bowled Reeza Hendricks for four in the second over, and Singh got South African captain Aiden Markram caught behind for four in the next over, and the Proteas reached 42 for two at the end of the second over. Power play.

South Africa were 81 for three midway through the chase after Patel, turning with his left arm, got Tristan Stubbs for 31 in the ninth over.

Singh struck a vital blow when he had Quinton De Kock caught at long leg for 39 in the 13th over, but Klaasen came to the crease and made his presence felt when he struck Patel for 4, 6, 6, 4 off the first four balls of the 15th over. The match hung in the balance.

Klaasen reached his 50 from 23 balls when he struck Bumrah through mid-wicket for two in the 16th over – but his dismissal spelled doom for South Africa.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA

*Rohit Sharma c Klaasen b Maharaj 9

Virat Kohli c Rabada b Jansen 76

† Rishabh Pant c wk De Kock b Maharaj 0

Suryakumar Yadav c Klaasen b Rabada 3

Axar Patel reached 47

Shivam Dube c Miller b Nortje 27

Hardik Pandya not out of 5

Ravindra Jadeja c Maharaj b Nortje 2

Extras (w6, nb1) 7

TOTAL (7 weeks, 20 overs) 176

Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Sharma, 1.4 overs); 2-23 (pants, 1.6); 3-34 (S. Yadav, 4.3); 4-106 (Patel, 13.3); 5-163 (Kohli, 18.5); 6-174 (Dube, 19.4); 7-176 (Jadeja, 19.6).

Bowling: Jansen 4-0-49-1 (nb1, w1); Maharaj 3-0-23-2; Rabada 4-0-36-1 (w2); Markram 2-0-16-0; Nortje 4-0-26-2 (w2); Shamsi 3-0-26-0 (w1).

SOUTH AFRICA

Reeza Hendricks b. Bumrah 4

†Quinton De Kock c Kuldeep Yadav b Arshdeep Singh 39

* Aiden Markram c wk Pant b Arshdeep Singh 4

Tristan Stubbs and Patel 31

Heinrich Klaasen c wk Pant b Pandya 52

David Miller c Suryakumar Yadav b Pandya 21

Marco Jansen b Bumrah 2

Kesahv Maharaj not out 2

Kagiso Rabada c Suryakumar Yadav b Pandya 4

Anrich Nortje not from 1

Extras (b1, lb4, w3, nb1) 9

TOTAL (8 weeks, 20 overs) 169

Tabraiz Shamsi did not hit.

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Hendricks, 1.3 overs); 2-12 (Markram, 2.3); 3-70 (Tristan Stubbs, 8.5); 4-106 (De Kock, 12.3); 5-151 (Klaasen, 16.1); 6-156 (Jansen, 17.4); 7-161 (Miller, 19.1); 8-168 (Rabada, 19.5).

Bowling: Arshdeep Singh 4-0-20-2; Bumrah 4-0-18-2; Patel 4-0-49-1 (w2); Kuldeep Yadav 4-0-45-0; Pandya 3-0-20-3 (nb1, w1); Jadeja 1-0-12-0.

Result: India won by seven points.

Series: India to win the 2024 ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup.

Toss: India.

Player-of-the-Match: Virat Kohli (India).

Player of the tournament: Jasprit Bumrah (India).

Referees: Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Richard Illingworth (England).

TV referee: Richard Kettleborough (England).

Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson (Antigua and Barbuda).

Reserve referee: Rod Tucker (Australia).

(Adriel ‘Woody’ Richard)