June 29, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
India 176-7 (Kohli 76, Patel 47, Maharaj 2-23, Nortje 2-26) South Africa 169-8 (Klaasen 52, de Kock 39, Pandya 3-20, Singh 2-20, Bumrah 2-18)
India received by 7 runs
Toss: India, who elected to bat Officers: Chris Gaffaney, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough
India’s decade-long trophy drought is over as South Africa simply didn’t chase down their 176 for 7, the best ever rating in a T20 World Cup last.
Heinrich Klaasen’s brutal half century nearly took his aspect dwelling in a tense finale, with good help from Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller, however the Indian pacers held their nerve and bowled brilliantly within the final 5 overs after their spinners had been harshly handled, in stark distinction to the semi-final.
With the sport properly poised and South Africa needing 54 from six overs, Klaasen hit Axar Patel, the tormentor of England in that semi-final, for 2 big sixes and a 4. 24 got here off the over, leaving an equation of a run a ball off the final 5 overs. However again got here India. Jasprit Bumrah conceded simply 4 off the sixteenth, then Hardik Pandya dismissed Klaasen and Bumrah bowled a superb 18th over, dismissing Marco Jansen and conceding simply two runs, to depart South Africa needing 20 off the final two overs.
An impressively tight nineteenth over from Arshdeep Singh left 16 wanted from the final six balls and David Miller hit the primary ball of the twentieth as much as lengthy off, the place Suryakumar Yadav moved to his left, caught the ball, threw it within the air as he overbalanced over the boundary sponge, stepped again onto the sphere of play and picked up the ball to pretty much as good as win the sport. 5 balls later it was throughout, with India successful the event with out dropping a recreation, the primary workforce ever to attain the feat.
Pure Klaas: Heinrich Klaasen’s 23-ball half century made South Africa favourites
PICTURES: Alamy
Earlier, South Africa had began properly after letting India sprinted to 23 off the primary eight balls on what appeared like a superb batting pitch. Virat Kohli stroked three nerveless boundaries within the first over and Rohit Sharma hit Keshav Maharaj’s first two balls for 4 however then Rohit swept to sq. leg and Rishabh Pant high edged to the wicket-keeper for nought. When Sky pulled Kagiso Rabada to Klaasen on the deep sq. leg boundary, India have been 34 for 3 and struggling.
The early wickets allowed Virat Kohli to settle in and, in distinction to his early frenetic innings within the event, nudge the ball round within the firm of the promoted Axar Patel. Certainly, after hitting his fourth boundary within the fourth over, Kohli didn’t hit one other till the seventeenth – 37 balls with out a boundary –, when he swung Rabada excessive for six. Axar had made a helpful 47 with 4 maximums and Shivam Dube pressed the accelerator with 27 off 16. One other two fours and a six adopted from Kohli as he accelerated previous 50, taking his aspect to the best ever rating in a World Cup last.
Bowing out in type: Virat Kolhi was Participant of the Match in his final ever T20I
PICTURES: Alamy
The full appeared solely par, nonetheless, on a superb Bridgetown observe and South Africa, after the early dismissals of Reeza Hendricks, to the extraordinary Bumrah, and skipper Aiden Markram, saved up with the speed by means of Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs.
India’s spinners discovered the pitch much less to their liking than within the semi-final, the extra bounce that means the batters may hit cross-batted photographs with extra confidence. Axar, Kuldeep and Jadeja bowled 9 overs, 1 for 106, towards the fast bowlers 11 overs, 7 for 58.
When Stubbs and de Kock went, Klaasen took over, taking his time to settle in however the demonstrating his immense, uncomplicated energy, going to a 23-ball half-century, the quickest in a T20 World Cup last.
At that time Rishabh Pant went down with what appeared like a knee niggle however may properly have been a ruse to alter the momentum. The very subsequent ball Klaasen edged Pandya by means of to Pant and the stress was again on South Africa.
The unplayable Bumrah tightened the noose and Arshdeep and Pandya performed their elements, making certain India may sigh an enormous sigh of aid.
South Africa skipper Aiden Markram stated: “I’m gutted in the interim, it’ll take a while to replicate on a very good marketing campaign. It hurts fairly a bit however I’m extremely proud. We bowled properly, there was not lots to work with, and it was a chaseable complete. South Africans are aggressive, we’re respectful and we don’t go down with out a struggle. It’s nonetheless a proud second for us.”
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma added: “It’s laborious to sum up what we’ve been by means of in final three to 4 years. It’s not what we did at present, it’s what we did earlier than. We’ve had numerous high-pressure video games, and we’ve been on the fallacious aspect of issues. Guys perceive when the stress is on what must be accomplished, and at present was excellent instance. We caught along with our backs to the wall. I’m very pleased with the bunch of boys and the administration, giving us the freedom to play and that belief.
“No-one was doubtful about Virat’s type, he’s been on high of his recreation for the final 15 years. Come the event, massive gamers rise up. It was essential to carry that finish, for the others to mess around him. It wasn’t a wicket to bat freely on. He did that completely, all that have and all these years coming collectively.”
The participant of the match award went to Kohli, who introduced his T20I retirement, and preparations will begin quickly sufficient for the following T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India in March 2026.
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