Rishabh Pant with PM Narendra Modi© AFP

Rishabh Pant with the T20 World Cup 2024 medal© Instagram

The picture of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in tears was the perfect representation of how the Indian cricket team and their fans felt after the loss against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. While both players won World Cups as youngsters in the national set-up, the loss robbed them to the perfect chance to bookend their illustrious careers. However, there was no such case on Saturday as India defeated South Africa in a thriller to clinch the T20 World Cup 2024 title and the excitement was visible on the experienced duo’s faces. Rohit broke down in tears on the ground while Virat’s fist bumps and aggressive celebration once again provided a sneak peek at his competitive attitude. However, what made the victory bittersweet was the dual announcement that shook Indian cricket.

Just after the match, Kohli was asked by presenter Harsha Bhogle about his future and the star batter announced that it was his final T20I game in Indian colours. Not even two hours later, Rohit walked into the post-match press conference and told reporters that even he was biding adieu to T20I cricket.

While the players and fans are still engulfed in the high of the T20 World Cup win, the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli certainly signalled a tectonic shift in Indian cricket. They were the most experienced members of the national team and their departure paves way to an uncertain future.

The departure of Rohit means that India will now have a brand new captain in the T20 format. While Hardik Pandya seems to be the captain elect after leading the side in multiple series and serving as the deputy to Rohit in the World Cup, some new options have also emerged in the recent past.

Rishabh Pant has proven himself as a solid choice in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while the team management opted for Shubman Gill to lead the side in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe.

Besides the captaincy issue, the departure of Rohit also means India will have to find a brand new opening partnership. Rohit and Virat opened the batting in every game of the T20 World Cup and the team will now need talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad to finally stake their claim.

Coming to Kohli, how do you replace arguably the best batter in modern cricket? Kohli provided the Indian cricket team with a star batter, a tremendous fielder and a seasoned cricketing brain who was a stalwart in the dressing room. The team will now need to find someone who can make the crucial No. 3 batting spot his own and the pressure will also be on the senior players to step up in leadership roles.

Apart from Kohli and Rohit, the T20 World Cup final was also the final game for Rahul Dravid as head coach. His tenure finished with the competition and he made it clear that he will not be renewing his contract. The search for his successor is currently underway and although Gautam Gambhir is currently the frontrunner, the ultimate choice will inherit a completely new-look India side.

All good times are bound to end and it is almost perfect that Kohli and Rohit ended their superlative careers with a World Cup trophy. However, the announcements also mean that a new but somewhat uncertain future awaits the Indian cricket team in the next few months.

India scored a record-high total in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa with Virat Kohli playing the lead role. Talismanic batterKohli stepped up to the plate, ending his lean patch with a 59-ball 76 to help India post a competitive 176/7 against South Africa in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval here on Saturday.

On a dry and slow pitch, South Africa made early inroads by picking three quick wickets. But Kohli stood up to be at the centre of India’s innings, despite a middle-overs slowdown, with his crucial knock laced with six fours and two sixes, as they posted the highest total in a Men’s T20 World Cup final.

It was a knock in which Kohli scored more than what his first seven innings in the tournament yielded (75 runs). His 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, who made 47 off 31 balls, and a 57-run partnership with Shivam Dube, who hit a 16-ball 27, helped India go past the 175-run mark, as they hammered 42 runs off the last three overs.

Kohli got India going with three boundaries – drive through point, whip through square leg, and straight drive – on overpitched deliveries from Marco Jansen, as 15 runs came off the opening over. Rohit Sharma cut and reverse-swept for consecutive boundaries off Keshav Maharaj.

But Maharaj bounced back as he had Rohit sweeping aerially to square-leg to fall for nine, followed by dismissing Rishabh Pant for a two-ball duck when the top-edge on his sweep off a full and wide ball ballooned off the toe-end to keeper Quinton de Kock.

Pant is now the first Indian batter to fall for 0 in the final of a T20 World Cup. The previous lowest score was 4 by Ajinkya Rahane in the 2014 edition. 

So far, before Pant, five other Indians have been out for 0 in final of World Cups.

Kirti Azad (1983 ODI World Cup)

Mohammad Kaif (2003 ODI World Cup)

Virender Sehwag (2011 ODI World Cup)

MS Dhoni (2013 Champions Trophy)

Rohit Sharma (2017 Champions Trophy)

Rishabh Pant (2024 T20 World Cup 2024)

Kagiso Rabada struck in the fifth over when Suryakumar Yadav moved across to whip a back-of-a-length ball, but fine leg advanced to his left and took a spectacular catch, ending his stay on just three, as India were reduced to 34/3 in 4.3 overs.

With Kohli taking up the busy strike-rotation role in rebuilding India’s innings, pinch-hitter Axar took up the attacking mantle by clipping Rabada for four, clearing deep mid-wicket to get a six off Markram, slog-sweeping Maharaj for a maximum over the same region and hitting a flat six down on one knee to just clear long-on for a six off Tabraiz Shamsi.

Axar brought up India’s hundred in 13.1 overs by hammering Rabada for a six down the ground. But a ball and wide later, South Africa produced a moment of magic when Kohli missed a delivery and the ball went behind to de Kock, who ran out Axar, who turned back and ran slowly, with a direct hit and sent him back for 47.

With Kohli still finding fielders and not getting timing to hit boundaries, Dube lofted Jansen for six and then slog-sweep Shamsi for four more. After Kohli got his first fifty of this tournament, in 48 balls with a single off Nortje, Dube ended the 17th over with a slice past the backward point for four.

Kohli got his first six of the competition by slogging Rabada over long-on and then pulled the pacer for four more, as 16 runs came off the 18th over. Kohli clipped and slogged Jansen for four and six respectively, before the pacer dragged his length back and had the batter holing out to long-on.

Hardik Pandya came in and top-edged a pull off Jansen over the keeper’s head for four, as 17 runs came off the 19th over. Dube struck Nortje down the ground past a diving mid-on for four, before the pacer bounced back by taking out him and Ravindra Jadeja on the last three balls of the innings to keep India four runs below 180.

The highly anticipated final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024, will feature a thrilling showdown between South Africa and India. This grand finale is scheduled to take place at the historic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 29, commencing at 08:00 PM IST.

SA vs IND, Final Preview

South Africa comes into the final with significant momentum, having secured a commanding nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their previous match. Key to this success was the performance of Tabraiz Shamsi, who earned an impressive 107 fantasy points, showcasing his pivotal role in the team’s spin bowling attack.

India, on the other hand, delivered a dominant performance in their semi-final clash against England, winning by a substantial margin of 68 runs. Kuldeep Yadav was the standout performer for India, scoring 123 fantasy points thanks to his exceptional bowling skills, which will be crucial in the final.

SA vs IND, Head-to-Head

In their last encounter during the third T20I of a bilateral series in South Africa in 2023, the two teams demonstrated their competitive spirit. Keshav Maharaj was South Africa’s top fantasy scorer with 65 points, while Kuldeep Yadav led the charge for India with a remarkable 187 fantasy points.

Historically, in the 26 matches played between these two cricketing giants, the batters from both sides have consistently accumulated the most fantasy points, highlighting the importance of batting prowess in this rivalry.

SA vs IND, Top Players to Watch Out For

Arshdeep Singh (IND)

Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm medium-fast bowler, has been in superb form, taking 12 wickets in his last five matches. His ability to take crucial wickets makes him a key player to watch out for in the final.

Hardik Pandya (IND)

Hardik Pandya, known for his all-round capabilities, has been a vital asset for India. In his recent three outings, he has scored 132 runs in the recent five matches and has picked up three wickets with the ball.

Rishabh Pant (IND)

Rishabh Pant, a dynamic left-handed top-order batter and wicketkeeper, has had a mixed run in this tournament, with 171 runs in the recent seven matches at an average of 28.50. Despite the inconsistency, his aggressive batting style can turn the game around.

Tabraiz Shamsi (SA)

Tabraiz Shamsi, a slow left-arm chinaman bowler, has been a standout performer for South Africa, taking 11 wickets at an average of 9.3 in his last four matches. His wicket-taking ability will be crucial in the final against India.

Quinton de Kock (SA)

Quinton de Kock, a left-handed top-order batter and wicketkeeper, has shown his class with 204 runs in the recent eight matches at a strike rate of 143.66. His experience and ability to score runs quickly make him a key player for South Africa.

Marco Jansen (SA)

Marco Jansen, an all-rounder who bowls left-arm medium-fast, has taken six wickets in this tournament. With the bat, he has contributed 30 runs, showcasing his versatility and importance to the team.

Conclusion

Given their performances in the tournament so far, South Africa will rely on their strong bowling line-up, led by the likes of Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen. However, India’s balanced team, featuring impactful players like Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh, cannot be underestimated. This final promises to be a gripping contest, with both teams vying for the prestigious title.

Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant in India’s dressing room© Instagram

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma talking about Rishabh Pant© X (Twitter)

For India, the revenge is complete. After a heart-breaking loss to Australia in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Rohit Sharma-led side dealt a major blow to the Mitchell Marsh-led side by defeating them in a Super 8 match in St Lucia. That loss ultimately became crucial in Australia’s exit from the T20 World Cup as Afghanistan knocked them out on points with a victory over Bangladesh. 

India’s win over Australia was almost flawless. It saw Rohit Sharma score 92 off just 41 balls as India gave them a 206-run target. Though Travis head and others gave Australia a fast start, they could not maintain the momentum and could only reach 181/7 in 20 overs.

However, there was a time in the match when Hardik Pandya survived an injury scare, that happenned as a Pant throw hit him. Pandya had bowled a slower one to Mitchell Starc, who failed to connect. Pant collected the ball and aimed at the stumps. The ball missed the stumps and went on to hit the Pandya’s hand. The star all-rounder was unahppy with the incident while India captain Rohit Sharma was frustrated.

pic.twitter.com/PCg3WU3dQT

— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) June 25, 2024

After India’s strategic brilliance and adaptability to challenging conditions propelled them to a 24-run victory over Australia in the Super match of the T20 World Cup, pacer Arshdeep Singh gave credit to Jasprit Bumrah for his brilliant bowling throughout the tournament.

Arshdeep dismissed the dangerous David Warner in the first over, setting the tone for India’s bowling attack. His crucial wickets of big-hitters Tim David and Matthew Wade in the death overs were pivotal in stalling Australia’s chase.

With figures of 3 for 37, Arshdeep not only bagged the most wickets for India in the match but also climbed to the second spot in the tournament’s wicket-takers charts with 15 wickets in six games with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi sitting on top with 16 wickets in seven games.

The 25-year-old left-arm pacer was quick to attribute much of his success to pace spearhead Bumrah. “I guess a lot of credit goes to Jassi bhai (Jasprit Bumrah) because he puts a lot of pressure on the batters – he gives, what, three or four runs in an over – so batters are coming hard against me, and I just have to try and bowl my best ball and there are a lot of chances of getting wickets there,” Arshdeep said.

“On the other end they see the runs are not coming and the asking rate is going high, so they take more risks against me. [There’s a] chance always of getting a wicket there. So a lot of credit for my wickets goes to Jassi bhai,” he added.

Skipper Rohit Sharma’s electrifying 41-ball 92 followed by contributions from Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed 31 off 16 balls, and Hardik Pandya, who added a vital 27* off 17 balls help India post formidable total of 205/5 in 20 overs.

Rohit Sharma was here, there, everywhere in India vs Australia T20 World Cup Super 8 clash on Monday. Skipper Rohit Sharma played an innings to remember as India marched into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup with a 24-run win over Australia in their last Super Eights fixture on Monday. Rohit combined brute force with elegance in his 92 off 41 balls as India amassed 205 for five after Australia opted to bowl on a batting beauty. In reply, Australia ended at 181 for seven. Staring at an early exit from the competition, Australia showed their familiar fighting spirit in the run chase via skipper Mitchell Marsh (37 off 28), who was back among the runs, and India’s nemesis Travis Head (76 off 43), who played a blinder in the ODI World Cup final last year.

The trio of Kuldeep Yadav (2/24), Jasprit Bumrah (1/29) and Arshdeep Singh (3/37) eventually kept the Australians at bay. India finished as group toppers.

After their second loss in three games, Australia have left their fate in the hands of Afghanistan who take on Bangladesh later on Monday and are also in running for the second semifinal spot from Group 1.

India’s third win in as many games in Super Eights gave them a date with defending champions England in the second semifinal in Guyana on Thursday.

The match also saw a moment when Rohit Sharma shouted at Rishabh Pant for a lethargic attempt while keeping the wickets. He fell short of a catch in the second over and was left frustrated. Rohit also could not keep his calm and shouted at him. Jasprit Bumrah was the bowler while Mitchell Marsh was batting.

Rohit sharma abused Rishabh pant. You may score runs in irrelevant match but you can’t earn the respect like zvirat Kohli. pic.twitter.com/rMFVfv3VKx

— Rajat (@Rajatvk18) June 24, 2024

Rohit Sharma is angry on Rishabh Pant , it’s easy catch and runout as well

IND vs AUS #Rohit pic.twitter.com/xCvG8KCuXG

— WORLD CUP FOLLOWER (@BiggBosstwts) June 24, 2024

Australia, as expected, showed plenty of fight in the chase before fizzling out in the death overs.

The highlight of the 86-run partnership between Head and Marsh was their exemplary ball-striking ability.

While Marsh enthralled with short-arm pulls into the stands, Head targeted the straight boundary. The southpaw smoked Hardik Pandya for a flat six down the ground, reminiscent of his ruthlessness in Ahmedabad on the ill-fated night of November 19.

Amid the high-quality hitting from Marsh and Head, Kuldeep’s bowling stood out. One of his wickets, though, was purely down to the brilliance of Axar Patel who took a one-handed stunner on the jump at deep square leg to send back Marsh.

With 65 needed off 30 balls and Head in the middle, the match hung in balance before MVP Jasprit Bumrah returned to remove the opener with a slower ball and Australia could not press on thereafter.

Earlier, on the best batting surface of the tournament, Australia put India in to bat and Rohit made the most of the conditions with a sublime knock comprising seven fours and eights sixes including a recording-extending 200th in the format.

It was the start of something special when Rohit flicked Mitchell Starc for four in the first over of the game.

Virat Kohli (0) at the other end mistimed a pull off Josh Hazlewood in the following over to be caught in the deep.

Walking the talk once again, Rohit never took the foot off the pedal and went hammer and tongs against Starc, whose second over yielded as many as 29 runs, his most expensive in the format.

The first two sixes in the over came via delightful aerial drives over extra cover before he smashed one in the cow corner region.

The fourth maximum of the over came through a mishit that went all the way behind the stumps.

Rohit did the bulk of the damage in his 87-run stand with number three Rishabh Pant (15 off 14), who welcomed leg-spinner Adam Zampa into the attack with a six over long-on. Australia’s trump card went wicket-less.

Another memorable shot of Rohit’s innings was the down-on-one-knee six over deep mid-wicket off Pat Cummins in the latter’s opening over.

Credit must go to India for not allowing any bowler to settle into a rhythm. Rohit brought up his fifty at end of the fifth over with a single and that was also the fastest of the tournament.

Rohit unleashed a six over extra cover when Marcus Stoinis came into the attack in the eighth over.

Such was the authority of Rohit’s innings that he could select his spot against all the bowlers of repute.

It could have been a well-deserved 100 but Starc came back to remove the India skipper with a yorker.

Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 15), Hardik Pandya (27 not out off 17) and Shivam Dube (28 off 22) also played their part but India could not make the most of the last five overs, scoring only 43 runs for the loss of one wicket.

Even as his colleagues leaked runs, Hazlewood seemed to be bowling on a different pitch, conceding only 14 runs while taking one wicket in his four overs. 

With PTI inputs

India’s explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav’s childhood coach Ashok Aswalkar adviced Men in Blue to play normal cricket when they take on Australia in the 2024 T20 World Cup. In a clash of heavyweights, he said to not experiment too much against the Aussies, who are coming into the game after getting humbled by Afghanistan. The spirited performance from Afghanistan ha left Australia in a peculiar situation. Australia will now step into Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia to face India in a must-win game on Monday.

As India prepare to take on Australia in the clash of cricketing heavyweights, Aswalkar said the Men in Blue need to play their normal game as they have been playing in their last six matches. Aswalkar also hailed the performance of India’s ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been in outstanding form in the T20 World Cup. The pacer has picked 10 wickets in just five games.

“Our openers are slowly starting to pick up the pace. If they can step up their game in a match against Australia, then nothing could be better than this for India. Try to play normal cricket, dont don’t do too many experiments. They have to play the way they did in the last five to six matches. They just have to play a normal game against the Australian bowling lineup. Bumrah is special,” Aswalkar told ANI.

India selected four spinners for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, but pace was the major component of their assault in the first stage of the tournament. Talking about India’s decision to take four spinners in the T20 WC, Aswalkar said, “Rohit Sharma answered this question. Rohit knows which combination to take. Kuldeep Yadav is a perfect option for India, his slow bowling on the slow wicket works wonders.”

Suryakumar has been the stalwart for India’s two most recent wins at the marquee event, as he smashed a half-century against Afghanistan. Aswalkar wants Suryakumar to play without pressure as he has been playing in the last matches and advises wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant “not to play the reverse shot.”

“He needs some time. He has hitting power and India have to utilize it somewhere. Rishabh Pant is playing the wrong shots and losing his wicket. Suryakumar, Rishabh and all are performing well. I just advise the wicketkeeper-batter to not play the reverse shot. I want Suryakumar to play without any pressure,” Aswalkar said.

Meanwhile, a spirited Afghanistan humbled the 2021 champions Australia to collect their first-ever win over the cricketing powerhouse. Aswalkar said Afghanistan have the best bowling variations in cricket, Australia took them lightly and they lost the match.

“Underdogs always think to win the match against the big teams. Afghanistan have the best bowlers for variation. Afghanistan bowling can defeat any team in the World Cup, don’t underestimate them in future matches. Australia have a long batting line-up but Afghanistan have their day and they won the match,” he added.

Australia will face the India challenge in their pursuit of a semi-final berth, following their loss against Afghanistan where they suffered a shocking 21-run loss in their penultimate Super Eights fixture, on Monday in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Currently, India sit at the top of the Group 1 standings with four points while Australia (second) and Afghanistan (third) share two points each with Bangladesh yet to win a Super Eight match.