Fortunes fluctuated before India captured the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup with a seven-run win over South Africa.
The Final at Kensington Oval last Saturday was indeed memorable. Yet, one must feel sorry for South Africa.
An inability to win vital matches has earned the Proteas the nickname ‘chokers’. And say what you like, they choked again.
Chasing 177 to win, South Africa reached 81 for three after the 10th over. Then after losing Quinton de Kock for 39 in the 13th over, they were 109 for four by the end of that over.
The next two overs were wonderful for South Africa with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the wicket. They turned out to be the two most expensive overs of the innings. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav conceded 14 runs off the 14th and then 24 came off another left-arm spinner, Axar Patel.
So it was down to 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand. Cool heads were required, especially with the knowledge that the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah had two overs remaining.
Four runs came off the 16th over from Bumrah as Klaasen reached a fine half-century.
But off the first ball of the following over by seamer Hardik Pandya, Klaasen edged a drive and was caught at the wicket by Rishabh Pant for 52 off 27 balls including two fours and five sixes.
Again four runs were scored off the over.
Bumrah struck in the fourth ball of the 18th over, bowling Marco Jansen through the gate for two. Only two runs came off the over.
The 19th over from the left-arm medium-fast Arsdeep Singh produced four runs, hence leaving South Africa needing 16 runs off the last over.
Pandya delivered a wide full toss, which Miller hit overhead for Suryakumar Yadav to run from wide long-off to grab the ball with both hands as he toppled over the rope and lobbed it back into play and then caught it again. Miller fell for 21 off 17 balls.
What a controversial catch!
Kagiso Rabada managed a boundary to third man off the second ball but was caught off the fifth ball before South Africa ended on 169 for eight.
Pandya took three for 20, Bumrah, two for 18 and Singh two for 20.
In India’s 176 for seven after winning the toss – the highest total in a T20 World Cup Final – Virat Kohli produced his best knock of the tournament with 76 off 59 balls including six fours and two sixes, which earned him the Player Of The Match award. Patel scored 47 off 31 balls with one four and four sixes.
Kohli clearly had a sense of the occasion. He started with fluent strokes and moved to 14 off five balls before consolidating after India were 34 for three in the fifth over. At one stage he was on 36 off 43 but managed 26 off his last 11 balls.
Kohli and Patel added 72 off 45 balls for the fourth wicket with Kohli’s contribution being 21 off 23 balls.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who took the first two wickets in the second over of the match, ended with two for 23 and pacer Rabada, two for 26.
It was quite interesting to hear remarks from the India captain Rohit Sharma and his opposite number Aiden Markram.
“We wanted to win this, but I know to win a tournament like this, a lot goes behind the scenes,” Rohit said. “A lot of effort, lot of minds need to come together, and I’m very, very proud of the bunch of boys that I have, and the management as well.
“For giving us the liberty to go and play and execute and having that trust in each one of us. That has to start from the management, coach-captain, and the players go out there to do it. Throughout the tournament, we were fantastic.
“We have played a lot of high-pressure games in the past as well and been on the wrong side of it as well, but guys do understand when the pressure is on, what needs to be done. Today was the perfect example of when the back is against the wall what is required.
“We stuck together as a team, all of us, even though at one point it was looking South Africa’s way, but I thought overall as a group, on the field, we wanted this really bad. It’s very hard to sum up what we have been through for the last three-four years.
“We worked really hard as individuals and as a team, 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 is what we have been doing for the last three-four years, that’s the result that has come for us today.”
Markram said: “It’s not the first game of cricket that’s been lost with a team needing 30 off 30. It’s more that India are allowed to bowl well, they’re allowed to field well, they’re allowed to go from that position to a position of strength. It happens often in this game.”
He described the defeat as “gut-wrenching”, saying: “It stings a bit – but it’s good for it to sting.
“When you get really close like that, especially the nature of how the game went, it obviously adds to the emotions.
“A run a ball can go to 10 an over in the space of one over. Your gameplan as a batter changes. You’re potentially thinking of keeping the ball on the ground, running hard until the job’s done. And then the bowler bowls a good over, and next thing you’d be searching for boundaries and everything changes quickly like that.”
And what about the catch by Yadav to get rid of Miller?
“When I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn’t touched the rope,” he said. “The only thing I was cautious about was that when I pushed the ball back inside, my feet don’t touch the rope. I knew it was a fair catch. In hindsight, anything could have happened. If the ball had gone for six, the equation would have been five balls, ten runs. We might have still won, but the margin would have been closer.”
So India now join West Indies (2012 and 2016) and England (2010 and 2022) in winning the T20 World Cup for the second time after capturing the inaugural edition in 2007.
Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning freelance sports journalist, who has been covering local, regional and International cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (rebranded Elite in 2012) Championship for over four decades and provides statistics and stories for the BCA website (www.barbadoscricket.org).
Email: Keithfholder@gmail.com
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