India ended their 11-year run without a major title by winning the 2024 T20 World Cup after a thrilling final against South Africa in Barbados. India seemed down and out going into the last five overs of the South African chase but pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya enforced an extraordinary chokehold on the flow of runs. South Africa ended up losing by seven runs.
There was an outpouring of emotions on the field after the win with most Indian players in tears. This was punctuated by the fact that Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20Is in the presentation ceremony after being named player of the match. Captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja both followed suit.
India beat Pakistan in similar circumstances en route to their title. In the group stage match between the arch-rivals in New York, Pakistan looked well in control halfway through their chase, but India roared back and won the game by six runs, defending a paltry target of 120. Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has now commended India for their victory.
“I watched the match and enjoyed it and both the teams played well. On the day whichever team handles the pressure wins. India played a good brand of cricket and deserved to win,” Afridi told a group of reporters in London.
‘We need to correct a few things, work hard’
Afridi and Pakistan had a rather forgettable outing in the tournament. The pacer said that they need to make a few corrections and come back strong. “Strong teams compete in the World Cup and they come after going through a process. I think we need to correct few things and if we work hard, results will be with us,” he added.
Pakistan came into the tournament as the 2022 runners-up but were stunned by the USA in their opening match. USA were playing their first ever game in the T20 World Cup and beat Pakistan in a match that needed to be decided in the Super Over. This was followed by the six-run defeat to India that put them on the brink of elimination. Pakistan then beat Canada by seven wickets in their next match and Ireland by three wickets but it was not enough, with the USA pipping them to seal a historic spot in the Super Eight.