India clinches T20 World Cup with thrilling win over South Africa
Key Points(5)
- Playing in what he declared afterward as his final T20 International, the 35-year-old right-hander crafted a masterful 76 off 59 deliveries, helping India recover from a shaky start to post 176 for seven in their 20 overs.
- Kohli, who had accumulated only 75 runs from his previous seven innings, found his form at the perfect moment, hitting six fours and two sixes.
- Chasing the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final, South Africa seemed poised for victory when they reached 151 for four at the start of the 16th over, with Heinrich Klaasen top-scoring with 52, Quinton de Kock adding 39, and Tristan Stubbs contributing 31.
- However, needing 26 runs from the last four overs, seamers Hardik Pandya (3-20), Jasprit Bumrah (2-18), and Arshdeep Singh (2-20) delivered under pressure, restricting South Africa's scoring and taking crucial wickets to seal a sensational win for India.
- <h2>Ability to handle high-pressure situations</h2> “It’s very hard to sum up what we’ve been through for the last three, four years.
Superstar Virat Kohli saved his finest innings of the Twenty20 World Cup for Saturday’s grand final at Kensington Oval, leading India to their second ICC T20 title with a nail-biting, six-run victory over South Africa.
Playing in what he declared afterward as his final T20 International, the 35-year-old right-hander crafted a masterful 76 off 59 deliveries, helping India recover from a shaky start to post 176 for seven in their 20 overs. Kohli, who had accumulated only 75 runs from his previous seven innings, found his form at the perfect moment, hitting six fours and two sixes.
Chasing the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final, South Africa seemed poised for victory when they reached 151 for four at the start of the 16th over, with Heinrich Klaasen top-scoring with 52, Quinton de Kock adding 39, and Tristan Stubbs contributing 31.
However, needing 26 runs from the last four overs, seamers Hardik Pandya (3-20), Jasprit Bumrah (2-18), and Arshdeep Singh (2-20) delivered under pressure, restricting South Africa's scoring and taking crucial wickets to seal a sensational win for India.
Ability to handle high-pressure situations
“It’s very hard to sum up what we’ve been through for the last three, four years. We’ve worked really hard as individuals and as a team,” said India captain Rohit Sharma. “A lot has gone on behind the scenes for us to be here today and winning this game. It’s not what we did today, it’s what we’ve been doing for the last three, four years. That’s the result that has come for us today."
Sharma highlighted the team’s ability to handle high-pressure situations, saying, “We’ve played a lot of high-pressure games as well and we’ve been on the wrong side of as well, so guys do understand when the pressure is on, what needs to be done. And today was a perfect example of when your back is against the wall, what is required.”
For South Africa, the loss was another heartbreaking end in their quest for a global title, having previously fallen at the semi-final stage seven times. “It’s tough. This group’s a great bunch of people. In my opinion, they deserve really good things to go their way,” said captain Aiden Markram. “I had a really good feeling about this competition before we came here and as the competition went on, that feeling got stronger and stronger. So pretty tough to deal with now but it’s a sport at the end of the day – someone’s going to win, someone’s going to lose.”
India’s innings got off to a rocky start when Rohit (9), Rishabh Pant (0), and Suryakumar Yadav (3) fell cheaply, with left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (2-23) striking twice in the fifth over, leaving India at 34 for three. Kohli then anchored the recovery, sharing a 72-run, fourth-wicket stand with Axar Patel (47) and a 56-run, fifth-wicket stand with Shivan Dube (27), before being dismissed in the penultimate over.
South Africa stumbled to 12 for two
Axar’s 31-ball cameo included a four and four sixes, while Dube hit three fours and a six in his 16-ball knock.
In response, South Africa stumbled to 12 for two in the third over after Reeza Hendricks (4) was bowled by a jaffer from Bumrah, and Markram (4) edged a wide delivery from Arshdeep behind. De Kock (39) and Stubbs (31) then steadied the innings with a 58-run, third-wicket partnership, followed by a 36-run, fourth-wicket stand between de Kock and Klaasen (52).
Klaasen, who hit two fours and five sixes off 27 deliveries, partnered with David Miller (21) to add 45 runs for the fifth wicket before India’s bowlers struck back, taking four wickets for 17 runs to clinch the title.
