India ended their 13-year wait for an ICC Cricket World Cup trophy when they beat South Africa by seven runs to lift the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in a thrilling final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
South Africa were left heartbroken after coming close to winning their first ever World Cup title but ultimately failing to get over the line against a strong Indian bowling line-up in a match that swung from start to finish on Saturday.
Chasing 177 to win, the Proteas looked in control when they needed 71 runs from 45 balls with six wickets in hand and the pair of Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen leading their chase.
However, India had not lost the chance to win their second T20 World Cup.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya stepped up to remove Klaasen in his first over and followed that up with the crucial wicket of David Miller courtesy of a stunning catch at long-on boundary off Suryakumar Yadav.
Bumrah also lived up to his reputation of answering his captain's call and breaking alliances at the most crucial moments of the match.
While Pandya may have removed the dangerous Klaasen, it was Bumrah's delivery to remove Marco Jansen that opened the floodgates for India.
Virat Kohli comes out of the shadows to rescue India
But long before the match reached its thrilling end, it was India's limited overs batting hero who helped his team set a challenging target for South Africa.
When India captain and tournament's leading run-scorer Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the second over, South Africa seemed very pleased with their efforts. And when they returned the dangerous Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav before five overs were completed, the Proteas were jumping for joy around Kensington Oval.
However, what they didn't take into account was the man who got India out of countless chances in the ICC World Cups over the last 10 years.
After all the talk about Virat Kohli's lack of runs in the tournament, it was the 35-year-old who stood up when it mattered most.
He started with two fours, thanks to Jansen's nervous start to the innings, and never looked back. As wickets fell around him in the first five overs, Kohli kept the score ticking with singles and doubles.
At the other end, Axar Patel took on the South African bowlers after being promoted up the batting order to introduce a left-handed batting combination and take on the bowlers.
The tall all-rounder hit four sixes and a four in his 31-ball 47 that put India's run pace back on track. But when Patel was dismissed to fix India's boundary count, Kohli came out of the shadows and took on the South African bowlers. He went from 50 off 48 balls to 76 off 59 and helped India post a formidable total for a World Cup final.
Shivam Dube played a quickfire hand of 27 off 16 balls before being dismissed by Anrich Nortje, who was the pick of the Proteas' pace bowlers.
Jansen gave away 49 runs in his four overs, while Kagiso Rabada also had a below-par day with the ball, finishing with figures of 36-1 from his four overs.
Maharaj picked up two wickets from his three overs, while his bowling partner Tabraiz Shamsi went wicketless.
'My last T20 World Cup and I wanted to make the most of it'
Kohli, who was named player of the match for his rescue act with the bat, confirmed his T20 international retirement after the match.
“This is my last T20 World Cup and this is exactly what I wanted to achieve,” he said after accepting the award.
The former India captain, who won the 50-overs Cricket World Cup in 2011, said he was “grateful to have done the job for the team on the day that mattered most”.
“It was now or never. This is my last T20 match for India so I wanted to make the most of it. It's time for the next generation to take charge. “They will take the team forward in this format.”
Kohli admitted the 13-year wait for a world title had been long for a team that reached several semi-finals and finals.
“It has been a long wait and not only [for] Only me. You can look at Rohit, who has played nine T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it as much as anyone on the team.
“It's hard to explain the emotions I felt after the game.”
