India have got over that finish line at long last. They somehow pulled things back despite South Africa needing just 30 to win off 30 balls and won their second T20 World Cup title.
It is their first major title since 2013 and the first time they won the T20 World Cup since the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup. India are also the first team ever to win a T20 World Cup without losing a single match throughout the tournament and the first team since 2013 to win an ICC title in this manner. Former captain Virat Kohli, who had struggled all tournament long, was player of the match for his 76 off 59 balls and he announced his retirement from T20Is in the presentation ceremony.
Kohli’s innings helped India recover from a shaky start and get to a score of 176/7, thus breaking the record for highest score in a T20 World Cup final. South Africa were off to a shaky start with Reeza Hendricks falling in the second over to a gem of an outswinger from Jasprit Bumrah. Captain Aiden Markram fell in the next to Arshdeep Singh. Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs then steadied the South African ship with a 58-run stand off 38 balls.
India kept a finger on the South African innings with frequent wickets though, with Stubbs falling to Axar Patel and De Kock falling top Arshdeep. Heinrich Klaasen then suddenly seemed to take the game away from India by smashing 24 runs in the 15th over but India fought back with Hardik Pandya sending him back in the 17th over.
Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh then put the chokehold on South Africa Bumrah gave just two runs and dismissed Marco Jansen in the 18th over and then Arshdeep Singh gave just four runs in the 19th. Pandya then bowled the last over and South Africa finished seven runs short. India thus ended their 11-year title drought.
Kohli earlier hit three fours in the first over but Keshav Maharaj hit back for South Africa by dismissing Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant in the second. This was followed by Suryakumar Yadav falling to Kagiso Rabada and so India ended up losing three wickets inside the powerplay. Kohli and Axar Patel have since steadied the ship for India and saw them through to the 10th over. Their stand went on to cross 60 and India crossed 100 inside 14 overs.
However, Axar fell just three runs away from his half-century thanks to a stunning piece of fielding from Quinton de Kock, running him out with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. The stand between Axar and Kohli brought 72 runs in 54 balls for the fourth wicket. Kohli eventually crossed his fifty in 48 balls and then teed off against Kagiso Rabada in the 18th over, hitting a six and a four in it.
