Team India have finally ended their long barren run and won their second T20 World Cup  after 17 years as they beat South Africa in a nail-biting last over finish in the final on Saturday (June 29). Defending 177, India beat South Africa by seven runs to win the last-over thriller in Barbados. The Men in Blue also ended their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy having last won the Champions Trophy in 2013. Virat Kohli was the star of the match having scored 76 runs while Indian bowlers deserved credit having pulled off a master class with the ball in the death overs.

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India win last-over thriller

Set a target of 177 to win their first title ever, South Africa were in the driver’s seat until the last three overs when they needed 27 runs to win from 28 balls but choked yet again. However, a show of class with the ball and then in the field saw India pull off a great win. Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in the final over was decisive as India restricted South Africa to 169/8 in 20 overs and won the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2007.

South Africa got off to a poor start in their innings as they lost Reeza Hendricks (4) and Aiden Markram (4) in the opening three overs. However, the Proteas then recovered well with Tristan Stubbs (31) and Klaasen stitching a partnership of 58 runs for the third wicket. Despite Stubbs’ wicket, Klaasen continued his onslaught with the bat to keep South Africa in the race. His innings consisted of 5 sixes and 2 fours as he scored 52 off just 27 deliveries.

However, Klaasen’s wicket on the first ball of the 17th over completely changed the course of the match with further wickets of Marco Jansen (2) and David Miller (21) leading to India’s win.

What happened in India’s innings?

Batting first, like South Africa, India also suffered blows at the start of the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma (9), Rishabh Pant (0) and Suryakumar Yadav (3) all getting out in the powerplay. India were 34/3 at one stage, however, they recovered well after Virat and Axar Patel helped the 2007 champions recover. Virat scored 76 off 59 while Axar was unfortunate to get run out on 47 off 31 when was caught napping by Quinton de Kock.

Shivam Dube also played a valuable innings of 27 runs off 16 balls which helped India post 176/7 in their 20 overs. Keshav Maharaj (23/2) and Anrich Nortje (26/2) were the pick of the bowlers for South Africa in the final.

The victory also means India become the third team after West Indies and England to win the T20 World Cup on multiple occasions.

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