On a magnificent day in Barbados, the 13-year wait for India finally came to an end. The unending suffering for South Africa continues with little assurance as to when or if it will cease. However, the show that these two sides gave at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval was more than deserving of a World Cup final. It was a bout that veered back and forth, with each hit being met with an equally vicious counterpunch that kept the outcome up in the air until the very end. The streets around Kensington Oval were flooded in blue even before the play started. Unaware that this would be Rohit Sharma’s final appearance representing India in this format, the vast majority of supporters came come to witness him hoist the trophy they believed was rightfully theirs. There were neutrals and the occasional South African.
In 2007, while still a rookie in South Africa, he donned a winner’s medal for the first time. As the captain of an immensely gifted and resilient Indian team that defeated South Africa, he bowed out wearing one in Barbados, fulfilling the symmetry and relieving the pressure of leading over a billion Indian supporters. Near the end of his media briefing, almost as an afterthought, Rohit declared his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket. When the star hitter said that this would be his final T20 International, he had given Virat Kohli his chance in the spotlight during the post-match presentation.
Vintage Kohli emerges from the shadows
Even the best players rarely get to write their ideal ending. While Rohit’s victory was wonderful, Kohli’s was legendary. He had scored 75 runs from seven innings during the tournament going into the final, and he finished it with 76 in a single game—the most significant of them. The 35-year-old laughed off the notion that the top T20 teams can function without an anchor and brushed off the doubters who said this team was carrying him. His innings served as India’s lifeline to victory since he reserved his best for when it mattered most.
Even in World Cups when India failed to win the ultimate reward, Kohli had consistently outperformed himself. And he was always the king without a crown in this specific arrangement. Not anymore. However, he wasn’t working alone. Axar Patel perfectly fulfilled his position as a pinch-hitter, repaying his team’s faith in him by moving up the order. Shivam Dube fell with him, and it was a smooth transition.
Classy Klaasen lifts South Africa to the precipice
Upon facing a difficult score for a World Cup final, India’s intimidating bowling attack transformed into their well-known The Terminator persona. They experienced neither dread nor regret or sympathy. And they refused to stop at all. Never. Not until the legendary Kensington Oval grounds had finally laid South Africa’s dreams of making history to rest.
The largely Indian crowd erupted in cheers after two early South African wickets, but they quickly returned to their seats when Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs pulled the Proteas ahead. They were up and about again after Stubbs fell to Axar, who bowled around his legs, but his exit made way for the most dangerous player in the South African lineup. Within a few overs, Heinrich Klaasen has the ability to and frequently does alter the course of a game.
It was not just a pair. The brutality of Klassen’s bludgeoning had caused the pendulum to swing once more. He cut South Africa’s aim to 30 runs off 30 balls in the blink of an eye. This was the new South Africa, one that had prevailed in all the crucial moments and remained composed under duress throughout the competition, even in the closest of matches. Thus far.
Genius Jaspreet and unloved Pandya dismantle the Proteas
Play was halted at the conclusion of the 15th over to attend to Rishabh Pant’s well-timed knee niggle, which allowed Rohit to reevaluate his bowling choices. He turned to Hardik Pandya, who had taken over as captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) four months prior, and this caused a wave of jeers to break out from Ahmedabad all the way to the Wankhede Stadium and beyond. Until now, the despised Pandya had remained silent amid a lot of hate and often ferocious commentary on why he had lost his supporters.
However, Rohit still had faith in him, and he struck right away when Klaasen attempted a spectacular drive to cover a wide delivery, only to fall short. This was the game’s pivotal moment, and the spectators sensed it too, as seen by the fluttering blue jerseys in the stands. With bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen and their ever-dependable innings-finishing batsman David Miller, affectionately known as the Killer Miller, still at the crease, South Africa had not given up hope. Would Jansen, however, withstand the incredible brilliance of the stunning freak that is Jasprit Bumrah?
Throughout the entire innings, Bumrah, the human slingshot with precision that defies explanation, bowled flawlessly. Now, he delivered a ball that only the cricket gods could have imagined, desperating his team for a wicket that would allow South Africa to bat for the remainder of the innings. An incredible missile that blasted Jansen’s stumps and sent Indian supporters into a frenzy was unleashed with that uncanny wrist snap, angling in and straightening as it spat off the ground. With each dismissal, Kohli, fielding on the boundary, silently pumped his fists while clenching his teeth.
Surya Kumar plucks one from the sky
A magnificent catch to round off the highlights reel was the only thing this final lacked thus far, and it arrived in the opening ball of the last over. With Killer Miller on the field, South Africa needed 16 runs in six deliveries, but hope wavered.
Miller had to take a risk and attempt to force Pandya’s initial, complete delivery to the ground. Suryakumar Yadav completed a one-man relay catch that would have made Michael Flatley proud by haring off from long-off and tiptoeing around the boundary rope with such agility that it was like he was walking on fire. Yadav got another catch thanks to Pandya taking a third wicket, this time from Kagiso Rabada. With just one ball left, the Indian supporters were already having a blast.
India’s joy is South Africa’s heartbreak in fitting finale
Head coach Rahul Dravid, who has been coaching the Indian team since 1996, pumped his fists, roared, and slammed shut the notebook he had been scribbling on in the dressing room. Why wouldn’t he? In addition to being his final opportunity to win a Men’s ICC World Cup title—something he had failed to do during his 15-year playing career—it was also his last day as India’s head coach.
The villain-turned-hero, when Pandya bowled the last ball, sank to his knees, then slowly onto his back, sobbing with happiness and shock. He remained there till he was swept up into the craziest of festivities by his teammates. The players from South Africa were devastated; they had let it get away from them. The pain was excruciating. As the Indian contingent circled the pitch in raucous joy, Miller buried his face in his forearm and Nortje clasped a tearful Maharaj in her hug.
As if nature had yielded to the will of a billion dreams, the heavens parted to let down the predicted downpour of rain. Two moving scenes in the wings said a lot as the presentation took center stage. Quinton de Kock, wearing a South Africa jersey and a bright pink tutu, sank to one knee when his three-year-old daughter raced up to him as he accepted his runners-up medal. She was thrilled and raced off as he put his medal around her neck.
Kohli gets his Mumbai moment
Pandya went off the stage after accepting his winner’s medal, closed his eyes, and kissing the metal. As the people nearest to him applauded his name, Pandya turned to face them and grinned. He was now a hero and no one could deny it. With a look of obvious delight on his face, Dravid, who never really intended to make this about his final game as India’s coach, watched on. His work was finished.
And then there were Rohit and Kohli, each saying goodbye in their own unique style. Kohli was raised by his teammates in a gesture reminiscent of the 2011 World Cup final, in which he lifted Sachin Tendulkar as a sign of respect, while Rohit declined to be revealed until later. They had made a lasting impression on this group, this The ICC associate nations’ energetic performances, the 2024 T20 World Cup’s entry into uncharted American territory, the USA and Afghanistan’s incredible runs, and the Caribbean’s resurrection of cricket will all be remembered.
Pitch disputes, a nightmare for the logistics, and outstanding performances by up-and-coming young talent were all present. And South Africa experienced both newfound victory and pain that was all too familiar. However, all else vanished from vision as the gold confetti swept across Kensington Oval, leaving only Rohit, Kohli, and their teammates visible.
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