India triumphed in a thrilling finale to the ICC T20 Men's Cricket World Cup against South Africa on Saturday on the back of a return to form for Virat Kohli and a brilliant spell from Hardik Pandya.
In a frantic finish to the match which went into the last over, South Africa failed to reach the finish line. With David Miller, the last recognized batter in the Proteas team dismissed by a superb catch by Suryakumar Yadav, it became a walk rather than a sprint for the Men in Blue.
With the win, India lift their second T20 World Cup after 17 years, having won the inaugural edition under the then captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Having won the toss in the final, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma decided to bat first. The match began well for India who picked up some quick boundaries. However, the opposition pegged them back with some quick wickets.
However, Virat Kohli, who failed to impress throughout the tournament, was on hand to deliver in the final. He stiched important partnerships as the other batters looked to accelerate.
With Axar Patel scoring 47 and Kohli scoring 76, India ended with 176 runs on the board handing South Africa a target of 177.
In response, India got two quick wickets dismissing Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram cheaply. However, Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs took the attack to India. After Stubbs was sent packing, Heinrich Klaasen looked dangerous and almost took the match away from the Indian side.
Pandya stuck again to dismiss Klaasen bringing back the belief. With Miller still left at the crease, the match was not over. Pandya then came back with the final over and dismissed Miller with Suryakumar taking a fantastic catch.
In the end, India ran out victors winning the match by seven runs. Virat Kohli was adjudged as the Player of the Match, and Jasprit Bumrah was named the Player of the Tournament.
