Rohit Sharma’s emotional ‘kiss‘ to his vice-captain Hardik Pandya truly summed up the emotions! India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024 was a moment of national elation. Years of frustration at missing out on major ICC trophies finally came to an end when the Men in Blue beat South Africa in a nail-biting last-over in Barbados!
IND vs SA final: Who was India’s best player?
Rohit Sharma (2/10): Rohit looked in menacing mood from the start but unfortunately couldn’t convert his 5-ball stay into a big one. He tried to sweep Maharaj but found the fielder at short square.
Virat Kohli (9.5/10): What a start Kohli made within the first over! The modern-day legend looked in supreme touch from the beginning, belting Jansen for 3 fours in the opening over. He proved to be the stick in the Indian innings and propelled the nation to a superb first-innings total. While 76 runs at a strike rate of under 129 doesn’t boast explosiveness, Kohli’s innings transcended all stats and was invaluable for India’s World Cup glory!
Rishabh Pant (0/10): It was an awkward dismissal for Pant, who recorded a horrible duck in the same over Rohit lost his wicket. Once again, Pant tried to sweep a full toss only to get his top edge get collected by De Kock.
Suryakumar Yadav (0.5/10): Another final, another forgettable contribution by SKY. The Mumbai-lad had a stupendous record against the Proteas prior to this match. However, in order to assert his dominance early, he was holed out on boundary by Klaasen.
Shivam Dube (8/.5/10): This was surely Dube’s most vital contribution in the entire tournament. The southpaw struggled to time the ball in the entire competition, but his 27 off 16 was extremely valuable!
Hardik Pandya (10/10): What rollercoaster ride Hardik Pandya’s last few months have been! However, had he not been there for the Men in Blue, the team might not have clinched the silverware. In the final, he hit a four in the last over with the bat stole the show with the ball. Pandya claimed three wickets, including two killer blows in Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller!
Ravindra Jadeja (3.5/10): It was an average tournament for Jaddu and unfortunately average final! He bowled just one over, going for 12 runs and was earlier out for 2 runs.
Axar Patel (8.5/10): ‘Re Baapu thaari ‘batting’ kamaal che’! Axar Patel literally bailed India out of extreme trouble, caressing a superb knock of 47. However, his innings ended prematurely, getting run-out courtesy of his own laziness. With the ball, his 15th over of the match could’ve easily been a deal-breaker for India.
Kuldeep Yadav (2/10): Kuldeep, who had a superlative Super Eight stage, lacked effectiveness big time.
Jasprit Bumrah (10/10): The Man, the myth, the legend! Jasprit Bumrah. Thank you Jasprit Bumrah that you play for India! The great showman was at it again, delivering a 2/18 spell and receiving a well-earned Player of the Tournament title.
Arshdeep Singh (9.5/10): Amidst Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics, Arshdeep Singh became a low-key influential figure. His exceptional spell of 2/20 went highly under the radar and his penultimate over, where Arshdeep gave just 4 runs, resulted in giving Pandya the 16-run cushion in the last over.
