Sixteen needed off the final six balls, and Hardik Pandya gets rid of South Africa’s last recognised batter – David Miller off the first ball of the final over — the moment was seized by a sensational catch from SKY! There was no dearth of emotions and drama in the title clash for the ICC men’s T20 World Cup but Rohit Sharma & Co rightly held their nerves to finally end the title drought after 11 long years.
Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of the Indian players as the celebrations sparked off with hugs from the teammates..
India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with that change of strategy in the 16th over of the chase, before Hardik Pandya kept his nerves to help the team to a seven-run triumph in a befitting send-off to outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid.
Chasing the highest World Cup final target of 177, South Africa were jolted with two early blows with just 12 on the board before Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs stabilised the innings with a 58-run third wicket stand. Axar Patel gave India a breather by crashing through his Delhi Capitals’ teammate Stubbs’ legs after he fired a 21-ball 31 to set the tone.
Heinrich Klaasen then joined the party to keep the Proteas, who needed in excess of 90 after 10 overs, in the hunt. One of the fiercest spin-hitters, Klaasen took Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav to the cleaners before de Kock (39 off 31 balls) wanted to do an encore against Arshdeep Singh, but perished in his second attempt after holing out to Kuldeep at the fine leg fence.
Despite being reduced to 106 for 4, Klaasen and David Miller kept the tempo alive and the turnaround came in the 15th over when Klaasen dispatched Axar for two sixes and as many fours to fetch 24 runs and bring the equation down to 31 off 30 balls. In the process, Klaasen brought up his fifty off 23 deliveries and almost threatened to take the cup from India’s grasps.
However, better sense finally prevailed in the Indian camp as Rohit got back to his faster men, and with SA needing 30 off 30 from the final five, Bumrah almost had set it up in the 16th over for Hardik Pandya to pack back Klaasen after the right-hander nicked one behind to walk back after scoring 27-ball 52, laced with two fours and five sixes. Bumrah then cleaned up new man Marco Jansen (2) to raise India’s hopes, even as South Africa pinned their hopes on their last recognised batter in David Miller. But it was simply not their day in the end.
Earlier, India’s talismanic right-hander Virat Kohli came up with a calculative half century to propel India to a competitive 176 for 7. Kohli, who had come to the World Cup final with just 75 runs from seven innings, finally got into his groove when it mattered the most for the team, as his knock not only held the innings together but also provided the cushion for the big-hitters to free their arms.
It seemed the 35-year-old was on a mission on the day as he started off with two back to back boundaries, the first one sandwiched between backward point and cover point, and the second one clipped it past the midwicket boundary, before ending the opening over off Marco Jansen with a straight drive for his third boundary.
The intent was clear, and despite India losing Rohit Sharma for a 5-ball 9, and then Rishabh Pant for a duck in the same over, it hardly mattered to Virat Kohli. Suryakumar Yadav (3) also perished cheaply, and all India needed was some solidity after the belligerent start.
Axar Patel, who was promoted up the order after the mini collapse saw India struggling at 34 for 3 inside the powerplay, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, stitching together a 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Kohli to bail India out of trouble. With India comfortably getting past the three-figure mark, and the two batters set to change gears, Axar departed to a mix-up after slamming a 31-ball 47, laced with a boundary and four massive sixes.
Axar’s dismissal brought in Shivam Dube, who also had to justify his selection after an underwhelming campaign throughout the tournament. Dube continued from where Axar left and kept swinging at 150+ strike rate, to ensure the Indian innings never stalled. With Kohli nearing his first half century of the tournament, Dube had the license to go after the bowling as he welcomed Jansen back into the attack with a towering six to announce his arrival.
Kohli, meanwhile got to his fifty off 48 balls, and in no time switched gears, depositing Kagiso Rabada over long on and then getting a boundary to help India cross the 150-run mark. The Delhi batter pressed the accelerator again with a six and a four off Jansen, before the bowler had the last laugh to end the 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Kohli eventually departed for a 59-ball 76, laced with six fours and two sixes. Hardik Pandya and Dube joined forces to power a couple of boundaries in the final over before the southpaw was dismissed for a 16-ball 27, as India closed at 176 for 7 for the highest total in a T20 World Cup final.
Modi hails India’s feat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India’s historic feat, immediately after India beat the Proteas in the title clash.
“CHAMPIONS! Our team brings the T20 World Cup home in STYLE! We are proud of the Indian Cricket Team. This match was HISTORIC,” PM Modi tweeted.