India snatched the ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy from the jaws of South Africa in an epic comeback win to lift their first title in more than a decade to pile up more misery on South Africa in ICC tournaments as Rohit Sharma's men won the final of the tournament on Saturday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. (Match Blog | Scorecard)
Proteas needed just 30 from last 30 balls with a set Heinrich Klaasen on crease looking set to take his team to a historic title. However things turned around quickly and Indian bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah helped India win the match by 7 runs and end their barren run in ICC events.
Both teams, unbeaten in the tournament till the final, kept going back and forth throughout the match. With 16 needed off the last over, South Africa pinned their hopes on David Miller and India relying on Hardik Pandya to hold his nerves.
A stunning catch from Suryakumar Yadav on the long-off boundary to dismiss Miller on the first ball of the final over effectively sealed the game in India's favour.
Earlier, the rain predictions turned out to be wrong as Rohit Sharma won the toss on a sunny Kensington Oval and decided to bat.
After a 15-run opening over, India were pushed on to the backfoot straightaway with Keshav Maharaj dismissing both Rohit and Rishabh Pant in the second over. Kagiso Rabada gave India the third blow as Suryakumar Yadav found Heinrich Klaasen on fine leg trying to pull it away for a six in the fifth over.
Axar Patel was then floated up to number five and he stitched a crucial partnership with Virat Kohli whose bat had gone silent after an initial 5-ball burst where he struck 15 runs.
Kohli played the second fiddle and Axar's risks paid off as the duo combined for a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket to take India past 100. Axar's lazy running then cost him his wicket.
Shivam Dube found some crucial boundaries after coming in at six. Meanwhile, Kohli got to a laboured half-century off 48 balls, his slowest in T20s. He then changed his gears to smash a six and a four off both Rabada and Marco Jansen.
Anrich Nortje conceded just nine in the 20th over and dismissed Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube to stop India at 176/6.
Chasing 177, South Africa were off to a poor start with Reeza Hendricks and skipper Aiden Markram both going back cheaply.
Hendricks' poor T20 World Cup ended with a Jasprit Bumrah beauty as a lovely outswinger took away the South African opener's off stump in the second over. Markram edged an Arshdeep Singh delivery to Pant and India started on a high note.
Tristan Stubbs and Quinton de Kock then took the attack to Indian spinners and did not let either Axar or Kuldeep Yadav settle down. Stubbs was looking like taking the game away when his stumps were shattered by Axar in the ninth over.
However, Stubbs' wicket brought Heinrich Klaasen to the crease and the South African started bludgeoning Indian bowlers left, right and centre.
De Kock's dismissal had no effect on Klaasen as he kept going hard. When Klaasen thrashed Axar for 24 runs in the 15th over, it seemed he had sealed the deal for South Africa.
South Africa were just 30 runs away from a historic first World Cup title at the end of the 15th over. But then came Bumrah and did Bumrah things by bowling a four-run 16th over. Hardik Pandya struck in the first ball of the 17th over to send Klaasen back and giving just four runs. Bumrah in the 18th over clean bowled Jansen and conceded just two singles.
The tide was slowly turning. By the time Arshdeep bowled the 19th over for just four runs, the tide had completely turned. Soon, India were crowned the T20 World champions after 17 years while South Africa gave another chance to their critics to tag them as 'chokers'.
Virat Kohli was adjudged the Player Of The Match and he announced that it was his last T20 in India colours.
