In a stunning finale, India has clinched the ICC Men's T20 World Cup title by defending 29 runs needed off the final 29 balls against South Africa.
India made a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Heinrich Klaasen, whose blazing 52 off 27 balls has been pivotal in their chase, with support from David Miller.
South Africa was on the track to securing their maiden T20 World Cup title, chasing India's target of 177 runs at Kensington Oval.
Quinton de Kock anchored the innings with a solid 39 runs off 31 balls, featuring four boundaries and a six, before being caught by Kuldeep Yadav off Arshdeep Singh's bowling.
Tristan Stubbs contributed a brisk 31 off 21 balls before being dismissed by Axar Patel.
South Africa showed resilience, reaching 81/3 after 10 overs.
South Africa's chase got off to a shaky start as they lost both openers early. Reeza Hendricks was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah for 4 runs, followed by captain Aiden Markram who was caught behind by Rishabh Pant off Arshdeep Singh for 4 runs.
In a high-stakes encounter at Kensington Oval, India opted to bat first after winning the toss against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final. Led by a stellar innings from Virat Kohli, India posted a challenging total of 176/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Kohli, known for his prowess in crucial matches, anchored the innings with a resilient 76 runs off 59 balls, featuring 6 boundaries and 2 sixes.
Kohli achieved his 39th half-century in men's T20I cricket, matching Pakistan captain Babar Azam's record. Babar accumulated 39 scores of fifty or more in 123 matches, whereas Kohli reached the milestone in 126 matches.
His partnership with Shivam Dube, who contributed a quickfire 27 runs off 16 balls, bolstered India's score.
However, India faced setbacks as opener Rohit Sharma fell early for 9 runs, caught by Heinrich Klaasen off Keshav Maharaj's bowling. Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav followed suit, departing cheaply. Axar Patel played a crucial role with a brisk 47 off 31 balls, including 4 sixes, before being run out.
South Africa's bowling attack, led by Maharaj and Anrich Nortje, applied pressure, but India managed to set a competitive total on a pitch known for its bounce and movement. The match remains finely poised as South Africa prepares to chase a target of 177 runs.
160 has never been successfully chased on this ground.
Only three teams have managed to successfully chase their targets in their second innings played on this ground during the tournament. Both teams remained unchanged from their previous semi-final outings.
This pivotal match marks India's first return to the T20 World Cup final since their 2014 loss to Sri Lanka and offers them a shot at their first ICC trophy in over a decade.
Having narrowly missed out on major titles in recent years, including the World Test Championships in 2021 and 2023 and last year's ODI World Cup, India is under significant pressure to clinch the win. Conversely, South Africa, often dubbed as "chokers" in cricketing circles due to their history of faltering in crucial matches, has a chance to rewrite their legacy in their first-ever ICC World Cup final appearance.
India Line-up:
1. Rohit Sharma (c)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rishabh Pant (wk)
4. Suryakumar Yadav
5. Shivam Dube
6. Hardik Pandya
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Axar Patel
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Arshdeep Singh
11. Jasprit Bumrah
South Africa Line-up:
1. Quinton de Kock (wk)
2. Reeza Hendricks
3. Aiden Markram (c)
4. Heinrich Klaasen
5. David Miller
6. Tristan Stubbs
7. Marco Jansen
8. Keshav Maharaj
9. Kagiso Rabada
10. Anrich Nortje
11. Tabraiz Shamsi
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