India’s victory in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 yesterday i.e on 29th June 24, was nothing short of a thriller movie. In 2007, India won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup. Seventeen years later, Indian cricket has once again shattered all records at the box office of Cricket Ground.
Watching the match for four hours yesterday felt like watching a dramatic Bollywood thriller film. Just as movies feature heroes, heroines, villains, supporting actors, comedians, etc., India played their roles in this cricket tournament-like film and made it a success.
Cast and Crew
A-rated Actors:
Rohit Sharma aka Mumbaicha Raja
Virat Kohli, the Chase Master
Hardik Pandya, the Crusher
Jasprit Bumrah, the Anchor
A-rated Actress:
The fast-running wind direction on the West Indian grounds
Other Cast:
Rishabh Pant, the Fighter
Suryakumar Yadav, the Flipper
Axar Patel, the Go-getter
Shivam Dube, the Hammer Man
Ravindra Jadeja, the Cast Iron
Arshdeep Singh, the Asardar Sardaar
Kuldeep Yadav, the Silent Killer
Supporting Cast:
Family and fans around the world
The Villains:
The uneven pitch of Nassau County, America
The false aggression of some players
The Three Musketeers
Rohit Sharma
The past three years have been very challenging for Captain Rohit Sharma. The loss in the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup and the defeat in the 2023 50-over World Cup increased his inner turmoil. In this T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies, Rohit Sharma, carrying the weight of his past losses, once again proved that there has never been and never will be a captain like him. In the last two matches, Rohit’s bat roared, and India reached the finals. Throughout the tournament, without losing a single match, Team India became the champions of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli
Someone rightly said that form is temporary, but class is permanent. The journey of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma since 2022 has been quite similar. In this year’s World Cup, Virat’s bat remained silent until the semifinals. In the final match, Virat’s crucial 76 runs played an important role in India’s victory.
Rishabh Pant
Two years ago, Rishabh Pant had a car accident that injured his leg, forcing him to stay away from the game for a considerable time. Overcoming his difficulties, Pant made a comeback to the Indian cricket team and performed well in this World Cup with good batting, wicketkeeping, and some spectacular catches. In the final match, he took two crucial catches, which significantly contributed to India’s victory.
The story
India’s thrilling victory over South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final was a true Bollywood thriller film drama.
Tile of the film: The Full Circle- 17 Saal Baad ( After 17 Long Years )
India won the toss and decided to bat first. Soon, opening batsman Rohit, followed by Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, got out one after the other. India lost three crucial wickets for 34 runs in just 4.3 overs. It seemed natural that Kohli’s bat had been silent throughout the tournament, so everyone thought he would get out quickly as well. However, yesterday he displayed remarkable patience, holding on to his wicket at one end, and then, when needed, unleashed his fury with the bat. Kohli’s 76 runs off 56 balls and Axar Patel’s crucial 41 runs off 23 balls prevented India’s innings from collapsing. Playing with Kohli, Axar lost his wicket at 106 runs. After that, runs from the bats of Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja helped India set a target of 177 runs for South Africa.
Everyone thought that India would easily win this match, but whether it’s a game of cricket or life, one should never underestimate their opponents.
South Africa started their run chase with great confidence. Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks began the powerplay with a bang. However, whenever a batsman’s dominance grows, India’s main bowler Jasprit Bumrah steps in. Bumrah’s terror is in the heart of every batsman in the world. As soon as he came in, he took out Reeza Hendricks, and then Arshdeep Singh took out captain David Markram. Here, India delivered two blows to South Africa in just 3 overs. With 2 wickets down at 12 runs, Gibbs and de Kock took South Africa’s score to 73 runs. After Stubbs got out, Heinrich Klaasen entered the scene. This player troubled the Indian bowlers a lot yesterday. Klaasen scored 29 runs in one over off Axar Patel.
The Thrilling Finish by India
In 15 overs, South Africa’s score was 148 for 4 wickets.
To win, they needed 30 runs from 30 balls.
Due to Klaasen’s aggressive hitting, South Africa needed 20 runs from 30 balls. On the first ball of the 17th over, Hardik Pandya dismissed Klaasen. This was the turning point of the match. At a time when the Indian team seemed to be in trouble, they once again tightened their grip towards victory. As soon as Klaasen got out, Bumrah took Marco Jansen’s wicket.
The Last Over Thrill
South Africa needed 15 runs in 6 balls.
Up until now, Arshdeep Singh had bowled the final over throughout the tournament. However, given the tense situation, Captain Rohit Sharma took a risk and gave the last over to Hardik Pandya.
On the very first ball, Hardik bowled a low full toss, which David Miller lifted towards long-on. It seemed like the ball would go out of the stadium for a six, but Surya Kumar Yadav’s presence of mind allowed him to catch it with perfect balance. Surya took the running catch near the boundary line, balanced himself, tossed the ball in the air while outside the boundary, jumped back inside the boundary line, and completed the impossible catch. This was the second twist of the match.
5 balls, 16 runs needed.
The ball touched the outside edge of Rabada’s bat and went for a four to the boundary.
4 balls, 12 runs needed.
Hardik bowled with full force, Rabada missed, and the ball went straight to wicketkeeper Pant. Meanwhile, the batsmen stole a single.
3 balls, 11 runs needed.
Keshav Maharaj swung the bat with all his might but could only get a single.
2 balls, 10 runs needed.
OMG, it was a wide delivery, giving an extra run to South Africa, and Hardik had to bowl again.
2 balls, 9 runs needed.
The ball came to Rabada’s bat, and he swung it high in the air, but luck was on India’s side, and once again, Surya Kumar Yadav took a beautiful catch at long-on.
1 ball, 9 runs needed.
The outcome of the match was decided until the last ball. Hardik bowled a legal delivery, conceding only 2 runs, and India won the ICC T20 Cricket final match 2024 against South Africa by 7 runs.
Well done, Team India! You proved that with determination, nothing is impossible. Just like heroes in Bollywood movies overcome difficult situations, Team India snatched this World Cup victory from the jaws of defeat. A chant, a penance – the World Cup.