In a thrilling finale to the T20 World Cup 2024, India clinched the title after 17 years by defeating South Africa.
India set a target of 177 runs, thanks to star batsman Virat Kohli’s stellar performance. South Africa, in response, fell short, scoring 169 runs.
The Proteas struggled early, losing Reza Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram for just 12 runs. Hendricks was dismissed for 4 by Jasprit Bumrah, while Markram also fell for 4. A partnership of 58 runs between Tristan Stubbs and Quinton de Kock provided some stability, but Stubbs was dismissed by Akshar Patel after scoring 31 runs off 21 balls.
Quinton de Kock, who scored 39 runs, was caught out by Arshdeep Singh. The game took an exciting turn when Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller made a lightning-fast partnership, but Hardik Pandya dismissed Miller for 52 runs off 27 balls. Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant bowling in the final overs, conceding just 5 runs, brought India back into the match.
With South Africa needing 17 runs in the last over, they couldn’t reach the target, securing India’s victory.
India, having won the toss, elected to bat first. Despite a quick start, they lost captain Rohit Sharma for 9 and Rishabh Pant for 0, both dismissed by Keshav Maharaj. Suryakumar Yadav fell for 3 runs to Kagiso Rabada. However, a crucial partnership of 72 runs between Virat Kohli and Akshar Patel steered India to a competitive score. Patel was run out for 47, and Kohli’s brilliant 76 runs were pivotal in setting a total of 176 for 7.
For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje each took two wickets, while Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada claimed one each.
Both teams remained unbeaten en route to the final. The Indian squad included Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Akshar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah. The South African team, led by Aiden Markram, included Quinton de Kock, Reza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi.
South Africa reached their first World Cup final by defeating Afghanistan, while India made it to the final for the third time by defeating defending champions England.