T20 World Cup Final: India beat South Africa by 7 runs to lift second World T20 title, end 11-year trophy drought
India has ended an 11-year trophy drought by defeating South Africa in the T20 World Cup final by a margin of 7 runs.
The Indian bowlers, particularly Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh, displayed remarkable composure in the final moments as India secured a thrilling victory from the brink of defeat. This triumph marked the end of India's 11-year ICC trophy drought, as they clinched the T20 World Cup for the second time in their history.
Bumrah made a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Reeza Hendricks in the second over, while Arshdeep accounted for Aiden Markram in the third over, putting South Africa on the back foot early in their pursuit of 176 runs. Virat Kohli played a stellar innings, scoring 76 runs to help India reach a total of 176/7, the highest ever team score in a T20 World Cup final against South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Shivam Dube provided valuable support with 27 runs.
In the early stages of the match, Keshav Maharaj claimed two key wickets by dismissing Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, while Kagiso Rabada removed Suryakumar Yadav as India lost three wickets within the powerplay. Axar Patel showed promising form with a score of 47, but his innings was cut short by a brilliant throw from Quinton de Kock.