It’s been a month since India won the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 29, 2024, in Barbados. The epic victory is still fresh in the minds of Indian cricket players and fans.
The Men in Blue were invincible throughout their successful campaign, marching to the final undefeated and pulling out an unforgettable victory.
Here, we dive into the 5 memorable moments from India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win.
5. Super Win over Australia
India were up against Australia in their last Super 8 clash on June 24, 2024.
Just a few months ago, in November 2023, Australia defeated India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, and the Men in Blue were just getting over the loss. But this time, India made no mistake and challenged the mighty Aussies with full force.
Put in to bat first, India faced an early setback in the form of Virat Kohli’s wicket. But captain Rohit Sharma was determined to heal the old wounds.
He led the charge from the front, smashing 92 off 41, with Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 16) and Hardik Pandya (27 off 17) making crucial contributions.
That onslaught from the batters helped India post a challenging total of 205 on the board. In response, Australia also lost a wicket early, but Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh looked set to take the game away from India.
Head was looking in good touch, trying to pull off his 2023 World Cup final performance once again. But India’s bowlers pulled back the strings, restricting Australia to 181 runs and winning the match by 24 runs.
The win helped India cruise into the semi-final and washed off some bad memories of their previous encounter with the Aussies.
4. India Serves Revenge to England
The last time India and England faced off in the T20 World Cup semi-final, the Men in Blue got thrashed by 10 wickets. Now, it was India’s turn to give it back to England.
Batting first, India posted 171 runs on the scoreboard. Skipper Sharma stepped up again, scoring 57 off 39, with Surya (47 off 36) putting in a crucial knock.
In pursuit of the target, captain Jos Buttler got off to a good start, but Axar Patel sent him packing before he turned on his beast mode. That dismissal was pivotal in wrapping up England for 103 runs, as the English batters struggled against the duo of Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
India handed a 68-run drubbing to England to complete their revenge for the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final loss.
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3. Indian Bowler’s Brilliance in the Final
India and South Africa made it to the summit clash without losing a single match in the 2024 edition. Two of the best teams in the tournament were up against each other to get their hands on the silverware.
After electing to bat first, India mustered 176 runs on the board. Now, it was over to the bowlers to defend the target.
India pushed back South Africa in the chase by taking 2 wickets in 3 overs. But then Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs steered the ship with a 58-run stand for the third wicket.
Stubbs fell to Axar Patel in the 9th over, and then came South Africa’s power-hitter Heinrich Klassen. His 52-run knock brought the Proteas within reach of the target, with the equation being 30 required off 30.
It looked like the match was slipping out of India’s hands, with India’s win probability almost touching zero. But Hardik Pandya delivered the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Klassen on the first delivery of the 17th over.
Here, the match turned upside down, putting South Africa under pressure. Pandy gave away only 4 runs in the 17th over, followed by Jasprit Bumrah’s 2-run 18th over.
Arshdeep Singh further tightened the grip by conceding only 4 runs in the 19th over, leaving Pandya to defend 16 off 6.
2. Surya’s Match-Defining Catch
With 16 required off the last over, David Miller was the man on strike, and Pandya had the ball in hand.
Pandya bowled a wide full toss, which Miller connected well to send over the long-off. But as the ball was looking to sail over the boundary rope, Suryakumar Yadav came running from wide long-off.
He first caught the ball before tossing it in the air as he was going over the boundary, and then grabbed the ball by coming back on the field just in time to pull off a sensational catch.
That catch almost sealed the fate of South Africa, taking India closer to triumph and sending fans into a frenzy.
1. India Ends the Trophy Drought
Before this T20 World Cup win, the Men in Blue came well within range of winning ICC trophies on several occasions between 2014 and 2023. From cricketers to fans, everyone was waiting for India to lift an ICC title for so long.
As Hardik Pandya delivered the last ball, Anrich Nortje managed a single, and India defeated South Africa by 7 runs. That sent every player, support staff, and fan into ecstasy as the Men in Blue ended the trophy drought.
Every Indian player and member of the support staff got emotional. Even Rahul Dravid, who doesn’t show a lot of emotion, enjoyed the victory like a young cricketer.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli soaked themselves in the moment and said goodbye to their T20I careers on a high.
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