Legendary India batter Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from the T20I format. Kohli announced his decision after winning the player of the match award in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Kohli said in his speech that it was an open secret.
"This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can't get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup. Wanted to Yes I have, this was an open secret. Not something that I wasn't going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward," Virat Kohli said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a heartfelt congratulatory note for Team India.
CHAMPIONS!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 29, 2024
Our team brings the T20 World Cup home in STYLE!
We are proud of the Indian Cricket Team.
This match was HISTORIC. ???????? ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/HhaKGwwEDt
Virat Kohli | PoTM: This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can't get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup. Wanted to Yes I have, this was an open secret. Not something that I wasn't going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward. It's been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament. You look at someone like Rohit, he's played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it.
The wait finally ended on Satuday, June 29. 11 years after MS Dhoni last lifted an ICC trophy for India, Rohit Sharma's men laid their hands on the T20 World Cup trophy. India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat as they successfully defended 176 to break the hearts of millions of South African fans. Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh starred for India in the big final at the Kensington Oval as South Africa imploded after bringing down the equation to 30 off 30 deliveries.
India have won the second T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya bowls the final over and guides India to a 7-run victory. Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma are in tears and are hugging each other. Rahul Dravid is elated and the rest are ecstatic.
This was a superb job from India in the second innings of the match. At one point it looked like South Africa had the game in the bag needing 30 off 30 balls. India pacers pulled the game back with timely wickets of Klaasen and Miller as South Africa kept going into a shell.
Unreal catch from Suryakumar Yadav as India remove David Miller in the first ball of the 20th over. Surya runs in hard from long off, catches the high ball, keeps running, lifts the ball over, goes out of the boundary and then comes back to catch the ball once again.
What a superb effort to keep the six out and India might have landed the knockout punch on South Africa.
An excellent catch at a crucial stage!
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
What a grab from SKY ????#TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/q02aAVsQRV
Jasprit Bumrah finishes with 4-0-18-2, picking up the wicket of Marco Jansen in his final over. South Africa have let things slip from 30 off 30 to 20 off the final 2 balls.
Heinrich Klaasen's wicket was massive in the context of the game. Pandya not only picked up wicket of the most dangerous batter in the world but also gave away just 4 runs. Jasprit Bumrah has cleaned up Marco Jansen and India believe it. They are back in the game. South Africa need 21 runs in 14 balls.
SA (156/6 in 17.4 overs)
TIMBER & we know who it is! ????@Jaspritbumrah93 strikes for #TeamIndia! ???? ????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
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Hardik Pandya catches the edge of Heinrich Klaasen and India are back in the competition once again. Can India bring the match back.
SA (151/5 in 16.1 overs)
Edged & taken! ????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
Hardik Pandya ???? Rishabh Pant #TeamIndia get the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen. ???? ????
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???? ICC pic.twitter.com/DmqNF3cwCG
A couple of hits and misses in Jasprit Bumrah's third over, but SA survive. They need 26 off 24 balls to win their maiden T20 World Cup 2024.
Heinrich Klaasen has ripped apart Axar Patel in the 15th over of the match. Klaasen hits Axar for two fours, 2 sixes in his final over, taking 24 runs from him. Axar finishes with 4-0-49-1.
SA (147/4 in 15 overs)
Kuldeep Yadav has his first off day with the ball in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024. Kuldeep Yadav gives away 45 runs in his four overs.
Heinrich Klaasen has powered South Africa to a position of power. South Africa are on top against India.
SA (123/4 in 14 overs)
6 and out for Quinton de Kock in the 13th over of the game. De Kock tries to hit Arshdeep for a six through fine leg, but finds Kuldeep Yadav as deep fine leg.
De Kock departs for 39 off 31 balls.
SA (106/4 in 12.4 overs)
Wicket No. 2⃣ for Arshdeep Singh! ???? ????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
Kuldeep Yadav takes the catch in the deep! ???? ????
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22:44 IST
12 runs have come from Ravindra Jadeja's first over in the final as Heinrich Klaasen attacks Jaddu and Kuldeep in back to back overs. This has also brought up South Africa's 100 runs as they edge ahead of India in the final of the tournament.
SA (101/3 in 12 overs)
India are ahead at the half-way mark in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 but only just. The Rohit Sharma side picked up two early wickets but South Africa made a stunning comeback with Stubbs and de Kock. Axar was able to remove Stubbs but now Heinrich Klaasen has joined the left hander.
SA (81/3 in 10 overs)
A massive brain-fade from Tristan Stubbs and a huge relief for India. Stubbs goes far across the stumps to sweep Axar Patel. Exposes all his stumps to the spinner and Axar darts in a yorker to crash into the stumps of the batter.
India have levelled the field here. Stubbs departs for 31 off 21 balls.
SA (70/3 in 8.5overs)
Axar Patel with his first wicket of the match! ???? ????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
South Africa 3 down in the chase as Tristan Stubbs departs.
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South Africa have taken calculated risks against the spin duo of Kuldeep and Axar Patel. Stubbs has attacked anything that has been pitched full to him by the spinners.
South Africa are not only keeping up with the rate, but are putting India in real pressure here.
SA (62/2 in 8 overs)
de Kock (28*), Stubbs (24*); Kuldeep (2-0-23-0).
Tristan Stubbs tries to attack his DC teammate Kuldeep Yadav. Stubbs takes the aggressive route and finds fielder in each of the three times that he tries to hit a shot.
De Kock cuts Kuldeep away for four through square and South Africa finish with 42/2 in 6 overs.
SA (42/2 in 6 overs)
22:14 IST
Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs are trying to rebuild South Africa in the chase, after two early wickets. Both batters have upped the ante and have taken 10 runs from Axar Patel's over.
SA (32/2 in 5 overs)
An early DRS call as a bouncer from Arshdeep Singh passes really close to de Kock's gloves while the batter tried to pull. The DRS shows no edge and India are down by one review now.
SA (14/2 in 3 overs)
Advantage India early in the innings. Arshdeep Singh bowls it full and wide and Aiden Markram's flailing cover drive catches the ball with outside edge. South Africa have lost 2 wickets early and are in a huge trouble here.
Markram departs for just 4 runs and closes his tournament with yet another poor score.
SA (12/2 in 2.3 overs)
Another success with the ball for #TeamIndia! ????????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
Arshdeep Singh with the wicket as Rishabh Pant completes the catch! ???? ????
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???? ICC pic.twitter.com/l5UWbUgEvF
Just one boundary from Aiden Markram as South Africa find it difficult to deal with Bumrah in the early exchanges. The Indian pacer will be crucial in this match. The pitch at the moment looks fairly good to bat on.
A superb outswinger from Jasprit Bumrah sees the end pf Rezza Hendricks. Fuller in length, tailing in from wide of the crease and it beats the batter on the outside edge.
SA (7/1 in 1.3 overs)
Bumrah ???? Breakthrough
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
Cracking start for #TeamIndia! ???? ????
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Quinton de Kock and Rezza Hendricks come out of the chase and are off to a watchful start against Arshdeep Singh in the first over. Hendricks cuts a shortish ball in the last delivery of the over for four.
SA (6/0 in 1 over)
India have managed an above-par total of 176 in the first innings of the final against South Africa. Axar Patel and Virat Kohli have been the pillars in this innings, while Shivam Dube has played a lovely cameo of 27 runs as well.
It was a topsy turvy innings for India. They started off on the wrong foot, losing 3 wickets in the powerplay. India were struggling even till the 15th over of the match with South Africa bowlers exerting a lot of pressure.
South Africa faltered in the 18th and 19th over of the match, giving away 33 runs in those two overs which helped India to reach a strong target.
In terms of bowling, Keshav Maharaj was the best bowler for SA on the day, picking up 2/23 in his 3 overs. Apart from Maharaj, Nortje picked up 2/26 as well.
IND vs SA: Virat Kohli (76), Axar Patel (47) lift India to 176 for 7 in 20 overs.
Virat Kohli plays a knock of two halves. Kohli scored his fifty in 48 balls and then next 26 came off just 9 balls after that. This helped India get out of trouble after losing 3 wickets in the powerplay.
Kohli hit 6 boundaries and 2 sixes in his innings and finished with a strike-rate of 128.81
Marco Jansen started with a poor over and finishes with a poor one as well. Jansen bowls a massive no-ball and then gets hit for a six and a four from Virat Kohli. However, the fast bowler is able to remove Kohli in the penultimate ball of the over.
IND (163/5 in 18.5 overs)
A six through the long on and then a boundary off a short ball against Rabada. Kohli gets a move on after hitting his fifty. India get a strong over off Rabada, 16 runs from it. India have reached the 150-mark and would look to get at least 20 in the last two overs of the match.
IND (150/4 in 18 overs)
Virat Kohli hits his first six of the match. Rabada bowls it on the length and with pace. Kohli clears his front leg and hits through the line for a six over the bowler's head.
Fifty from Virat Kohli in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024. This is his first in the tournament and it has come off 48 balls. Short ball on the rob cage. Kohli pulls the ball for a single.
IND (130/4 in 17 overs)
5⃣0⃣ for Virat Kohli - his 3⃣8⃣th in T20Is! ???? ????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
This has been a solid knock. ???? ????
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Shivam Dube tries to counter-attackTabraiz Shamsi in the bowler's third over. Dube swings the bat hard and slaps the ball through mid wicket region. India get 8 runs from the 16th over. On the other side, Kohli is slowly nearing his fifty.
IND (126/4 in 16 overs)
A really unfortunate run-out from Axar Patel. Direct hit at the non-striker's end from Quinton de Kock and South Africa have brought themselves back in the game. Axar Patel is run out at the score of 47 off 31 balls.
Anrich Nortje keeps it short against Axar Patel and Virat Kohli with the field spread out. Nortje keeps things tight and concedes only 5 runs in the 13th over. India need to get a move on now if they want to reach 170-run total.
IND (98/3 in 13 overs)
Axar Patel and Virat Kohli add fifty runs between themselves and keep India steady. Axar Patel has been the aggressor in the partnership, and as I write this down, he has hit a six straight through long on.
5⃣0⃣-run stand (and counting) between Virat Kohli & Axar Patel ????
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
1⃣0⃣0⃣ up for #TeamIndia ???? ????
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Marco Jansen is back in the attack and changes his length. He was very full in his first over and in this one, Jansen only bowls balls in good length. Axar tries the aggressive route, but after a thick outside edge, changes his approach marginally and gets a little more watchful.
IND (82/3 in 11 overs)
Axar Patel and Virat Kohli have kept India steady after three quick wickets in the powerplay. Axar has taken the aggressive approach a couple of times, hitting 1 boundary and 2 sixes. Kohli, at the moment, is just ticking away with singles.
IND (75/3 in 10 overs) vs SA in Barbados.
Kohli 36* off 29, Axar 26* off 20; Maharaj (2/23).
Axar Patel hits India's first six of the T20 World Cup Final. He hits Aiden Markram for a six through the mid-wicket region.
IND (59/3 in 8 overs)
Anrich Nortje bowls his first over of the match after coming into the field. The bounce is inconsistent from good length and India pick four singles from the over. Axar Patel and Virat Kohli are in the crease and are trying to rebuild.
IND (49/3 in 7 overs)
South Africa have definitely dominated the powerplay. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj dominated the proceedings as India reel under pressure.
IND (45/3 in 6 overs)
Massive massive wicket for South Africa once again. Suryakumar Yadav tries to pull a shortish ball. He does not get a good connection on the ball. Heinrich Klaasen runs in from the deep square leg and picks up a good catch by covering a decent amount of ground.
IND (34/3 in 4.3 overs)
Spinner Keshav Maharaj bowls his second straight over due to the absence of Anrich Nortje. As per the commentators, Nortje is not on the field and is getting some kind of cut treated on his hand.
Maharaj keeps things tight for the majority of the over, bar one bad ball that gets put away for four through the covers by Virat Kohli.
IND (32/2 in 4 overs)
PUMPED UP! ????
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 29, 2024
Credit: ICC/ Getty #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #OutOfThisWorld #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/LknWthwYmI
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada piles up the pressure on India. Gives away just three runs from his first over of the match. Suryakuar Yadav plays an uppish shot through the mid on area which falls just beyond the reach of the fielder.
IND (26/2 in 3 overs)
Rishabh Pant in at number three. Pant sweeps and ball goes in the air and is caught by de Kock. Umpires are having a chat but South Africa is celebrating. Doesn’t seem to be a bump ball. Pant has to go for a two-ball duck.
IND (23/2 in 1.6 overs)
IND (23/1 in 1.4 overs)
A strong start! ????
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 29, 2024
Credit: ICC/ Getty #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #OutOfThisWorld #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ou1itciWZx
Virat Kohli has ensure a strong start for India by running an onslaught in South Africa's opening over from Marco Jansen. Kohli sends Jansen for two-back-to-back boundaries, then another one in final ball of the over.
IND (15/0 in 1 overs)
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Team India win the toss and elected to bat first.
The pitch conditions at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados boast very little to no live grass to hold it together. It is a fairly hard surface, and should feature an even-natured bounce of the ball, unlike that in Guyana. It is yet to see how much the 73-meter boundary length down the ground and 63- meter and 65-meter on each of the sides react to all the rain it has recieved since yesterday. Batting first might be a good option on this pitch, but the statistics from the last three matches played here show otherwise.
The weather in Barbados is still looking ideal for the match, but the chances of rain have not vanished completely yet. In case of yet another rain interruption, we need 10-overs-per-side of play for the result to be declared. There shall be a maximum of 190 minutes of extra time allocated to the Final and also to its reserve day.
In The Zone ???? ????#T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #SAvIND
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
???? ICC pic.twitter.com/cqyPq3EfUc
India coach Rahul Dravid can be seen inspecting the pitch conditions at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, which will inevitably play a big role in deciding the ultimate fate of the T20 World Cup final between India and South Africa. Dravid, who is set to step down from his role at the end of this tournament, will be looking mark a winning end to his tenure with a much-awaited World Cup.
We Are Here! ???? ????#T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #SAvIND
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
???? ICC pic.twitter.com/kYOHndVo1h
The weather is looking clear in Barbados, which is great news for cricket fans expecting an action-packed T20 World Cup Final between India and South Africa. Better sights from the Kensington Oval as players from both sides have now taken the field and are warming up for the big game.
It's almost time ⏳#T20WorldCup #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/NzPQfXZ6Pe
— ICC (@ICC) June 29, 2024
Kohli's form has been lacklustre, scoring only 75 runs in seven matches at an average of 10.71. He faces a tough challenge in Rabada, who has taken 12 wickets in eight matches with an impressive economy of 5.88. Rabada has dismissed Kohli four times in 13 T20I innings, conceding just 51 runs.
Arrival ✅ ✅#T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #SAvIND
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
???? ICC pic.twitter.com/uW0ESdmQ7i
Beat Netherlands by 4 wickets
Beat Bangladesh by 4 runs
Beat Nepal by 1 run
Beat USA by 18 runs
Beat England 7 runs
Beat West Indies by 3 wickets
Beat Afghanistan by 9 wickets
Beat Ireland by 8 wickets
Beat Pakistan by 7 runs
Beat USA by 5 wickets
No Result against Canada
Beat Afghanistan by 47 runs
Beat Bangladesh by 50 runs
Beat Australia by 24 runs
Beat England by 68 runs
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik revealed that the weather in Barbados is now looking clear, after some heavy rainfall tomorrow. The scenes are now looking good for a full-fledged match and that is great news for cricket fans worldwide.
It rained YESTERDAY
— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 29, 2024
As of now, Weather looks SOLID
perfect weather for playing conditions #T20WorldCup #T20WorldCup2024 #INDvsSAFinal #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/U2UFm31r1t
The last 11 years witnessed the meteoric rise of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as two of the greatest batters in modern day cricket. The duo made a name for themselves with their stupendous stroke play across the world leaving both pundits and fans enthralled with the magic of their willow.
The duo will be well aware that the end of their journey is just one step away as they step out with their willow to conquer the world later in the day.
South Africa Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
India Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
Bad weather is expected to threaten the big clash with forecasts of heavy rain on the match day and Barbados. Although the weather at the venue is now seeming comparatively clearer, the forecast predicted a 70% chance of rain during the scheduled match-time.
This is the first time the Proteas have advanced to the final of a men's World Cup, in either the ODI or T20 format. Known for their "chokers" tag due to numerous heartbreaking semi-final exits—five times in ODI World Cups and twice in T20 World Cups—South Africa aims to redefine this narrative. Their sole ICC title triumph came with the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998, but this year's resilient performances have edged them closer than ever to a long-awaited World Cup title.
Emotions are running high as a fearless India, desperate to end the ICC title drought, battle a resolute South Africa, on the cusp of history, in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados. This high-stakes encounter promises nothing short of thrilling drama and nail-biting excitement as both unbeaten teams aim to lift the coveted trophy.
