As much as they dread the term and insist that they don’t carry the baggage of the past, it came back to haunt South Africa again, this time at the biggest stage, in their maiden final appearance. It was an incredible comeback from India towards the end of the second innings, led by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, as they snatched victory from South Africa to lift the T20 World Cup for the second time.
The match had its ebbs and flows. India lost early wickets after opting to bat, and Virat Kohli resorted to his old role of a run accumulator. He struck a 59-ball 76, with six fours and two sixes (none of them coming in the 7-15 over period), while Axar Patel (47) and Shivam Dube (27) came up with supporting knocks to help India to a total of 176/6.
South Africa also lost a couple of early wickets but a counter attacking Tristan Stubbs and a cautious Quinton de Kock got them back on track. Heinrich Klaasen nearly killed the chase with his 27-ball 52, taking on the spinners to bring it down to 30 off 30. But Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya put the chokehold on South Africa in the last five overs to seal a seven-run victory for their first ICC title since 2013.The difference: India’s pacers in the death
It should have been Klaasen, who attacked India’s key spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the middle overs. His knock, which included five sixes and two fours, helped South Africa score more than 100 in the middle overs phase, plenty more than what India had managed. But Bumrah’s last two overs yielded six runs and both Arshdeep and Pandya kept it tight on their end as well, conceding a solitary boundary between them in the death. The three pacers picked up seven wickets between them, with all three of Pandya’s strikes including the big one of Klaasen coming in the death overs, eventually leading to heartbreak in the South African camp.
The chase…
SOUTH AFRICA
Powerplay: Pacers deliver early strikes for India
Phase score – 42/2 [RR: 7.0, 4s/6s: 6/0]
There was movement early on for Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, and the former even found the edge of Reeza Hendricks’ bat but the ball didn’t carry to the ‘keeper. Arshdeep was cut for a four in the opening over but gave away only six runs. Quinton de Kock was beaten playing inside the line to Bumrah, who then got one to move away late from Hendricks to have him bowled. Aiden Markram guided a Bumrah delivery past point for a four but fell in the next over, chasing a wide delivery from Arshdeep to edge to the ‘keeper. The South African batters took on Axar Patel in the fifth over, with de Kock and Tristan Stubbs striking a four each. De Kock ended the powerplay with a four off Kuldeep Yadav as South Africa finished close to India’s powerplay score.
Middle overs: Belligerent Klaasen bosses India
Phase score – 105/2 [RR: 11.66, 4s/6s: 6/8]
It wasn’t the best of starts for Axar and Kuldeep, who were hit for a four apiece by Stubbs before de Kock went over midwicket and hit the ball out of the ground off the wrist spinner to bring up the half-century stand off 33 balls. Stubbs slog-swept Axar for a six before the spinner hit back with a full delivery to have him bowled moving across the crease. Hardik Pandya started with three dots to Heinrich Klaasen before the batter put away a short ball over the off side for a six as South Africa had six more than India at the halfway stage. Ravindra Jadeja also did not have the best of starts, hit for a straight six by Klaasen. The right-hander then struck a brilliant six over cover off the backfoot against Kuldeep, followed by a flick-pull for a four by de Kock that took South Africa past 100 in the 13th over. But looking to play that shot again, de Kock ended up getting caught at fine leg to hand Arshdeep his second wicket. Miller hit a four and a six on either side of the fence off short deliveries from Kuldeep, who finished with 0 for 45. South Africa needed 53 off 36 balls at that stage and some incredible hitting from Klaasen – who struck two sixes and two fours off Axar – brought it down to 30 off 30. The left-arm spinner finished with 1-49.
Death overs: Bumrah and Co. engineer jailbreak
Phase score – 22/4 [RR: 5.5, 4s/6s: 1/0]
Klaasen brought up a 23-ball fifty with a single off Bumrah, who came back into the attack a tad late, it seemed at that stage. India’s premier pacer gave away only four runs, but having crossed 150 and needing only 26 off 24, South Africa were in firm control. Pandya gave India the much-needed breakthrough, keeping it wide of Klaasen who edged the ball behind. Pandya also conceded only four runs, leaving South Africa needing 22 off the last three overs. Bumrah bowled the 18th over and built the pressure on South Africa by conceding only two runs and bagging the wicket of Marco Jansen with an incoming delivery to strike timber. Keshav Maharaj was on strike at the start of the 19th over and played two dot deliveries off Arshdeep before taking a single. A couple and a single for Miller, followed by the dot to Maharaj, led South Africa needing 16 off the last over. Pandya bowled a low and wide full toss to Miller, who could only hit the ball as far as long-off where Suryakumar Yadav did well to keep the ball in play as he crossed the fence, got back into the field, and caught the ball. Kagiso Rabada edged one behind for a four, bringing the equation down to 12 off 4. A bye and a leg-bye followed before Pandya bowled a wide. With nine needed off the last two balls, Rabada was dismissed trying to go over long off and Anrich Nortje managed just a single as India pulled off a jailbreak to lift the T20 World Cup title for the second time.
Earlier…
INDIA
Powerplay: South Africa make early inroads to dent India
Phase score – 45/3 [RR: 7.5, 4s/6s: 7/0]
Any concerns around Kohli’s form in this World Cup was put to ease by the star batter who put away half-volleys from Marco Jansen, creaming three boundaries on a dry wicket which didn’t offer any movement. Rohit Sharma struck two fours off Maharaj, edging a cut and reverse-sweeping the spinner, before an attempted sweep resulted in a catch to Klaasen square of the wicket. Rishabh Pant fell soon after, top-edging a full toss from Maharaj to the ‘keeper trying to sweep. Suryakumar got off the mark with a couple off Rabada, but wasn’t in control of the shot and just about cleared mid on. Kohli, who cut away a short ball from Maharaj for a four, employed a measured approach in his bid to steady India after the quick strikes. But Suryakumar handed a catch at fine leg trying to put away a slower delivery from Rabada, leaving India in a spot at 34/3. Axar received a promotion and he clipped a four off Rabada for his first runs. Markram brought himself on and ended the powerplay with a quiet over, conceding only six singles.
Middle overs: Axar-Kohli stand steadies India
Phase score – 73/1 [RR: 8.11, 4s/6s: 0/5]
Nortje came into the attack only after the powerplay and started with a four-run over. Axar then took on the spinners, bringing out the slog sweep for a six apiece off Markram and Maharaj and both the batters were happy to deal in singles and twos as they raised a half-century stand in 42 deliveries. Kohli assumed the role of batting deep while Axar was looking to target the spinners, getting his third six by clearing the long on fence in Tabraiz Shamsi’s second over. The boundary opportunities didn’t come against a disciplined Nortje but Rabada wasn’t afforded the same treatment, with Axar striking a straight six off a full delivery from Rabada to help India past 100 in the 14th over. But the partnership, worth 72 off 54, came to an end as an alert de Kock ran Axar out at the non-striker’s end. Shivam Dube got into the act straightaway, lofting a slower ball from Jansen over mid on for a six.
Death overs: Kohli, Dube help India finish with competitive total
Phase score – 58/3 [RR: 11.6, 4s/6s: 5/2]
Shamsi bowled the 16th over and despite being hit for a four by Dube, he conceded only 8 runs. Kohli got his first fifty in this World Cup, getting there off 48 balls with a single off Nortje, before Dube played a cut past backward point for the first four off the pacer. Having last struck a boundary in the fourth over, Kohli cleared long on for a six off the first ball bowled by Rabada in the 18th over and then rolled his wrists to a short ball for a four, as 16 runs came off the over and helped India to 150. Kohli hit a four and a six off Jansen in the 19th over before getting out to the left-arm seamer, caught in the deep trying to put away a short off cutter. The over ended with Pandya top-edging a short ball for a four, with 17 coming off it. Dube hit a four off Nortje as India posted the highest total in a T20 World Cup final. It was a good final over from the quick who kept it to 9 runs and picked up the wickets of Dube and Jadeja, but it was a good finish for India who got 101 runs in the second half of their innings.
Brief scores: India 176/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 76, Axar Patel 47; Keshav Maharaj 2-23, Anrich Nortje 2-26) beat South Africa 169/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Quinton de Kock 39, Hardik Pandya 3-20, Jasprit Bumrah 2-18) by 7 runs.