PrashantNews
It was a Saturday night fever that gripped India soon after it snatched the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Barbados from the jaws of defeat against South Africa. The Proteas choked at crucial time when they just needed 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand. Dangerous Heinrich Klaasen was leading the charge. But In the end, India won by 7 runs.
Nevertheless, the India juggernaut remained unstoppable throughout the tournament ending the 13 years long dry-spell.
If India won the World Cup in a thrilling finale, it will surely miss its two great batters, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in the T20 format as they retired. But both are saying goodbye in smiles.
One catch that changed the complexion of the game was a match-winning capture by SuryaKumar Yadav to get rid of dangerous David Miller in the final over which will be remembered in years to come. It rekindled the memories of the great catch of Viv Richards by Kapil Dev in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s.
Moments earlier, Jasprit Bumrah clean bowled Marco Jansen with a crazy inswinger that completely left the South African dumb-founded. Jansen didn’t understand for a while how the ball came in with a lightning speed to clean bowl him. The wicket of Jansen ignited a new hope that the victory was achievable. And when Yadav took the catch, the victory became clearer.
Amid the grand celebrations at home, some questions are still debatable. It should be a matter of discussion inside the boardroom whether India’s total of 176 was enough. Just like in the semi-final match against England where rains played spoilsport restricting India to make only 171 runs, Rohit’s men could not touch the psychological 200 barrier in both semifinal and final matches despite having world class batters. Rishabh Pant faltered again and again. Shivam Dube’s performance in the tournament should also be discussed.
But above all, India won the World Cup sending the whole country into ecstasy. Fireworks in all cities and villages lit up the night skies with people taking to streets and celebrating the victory loudly. “I tried my best to sleep at around 2 AM but kept thinking about the great Indian victory for a very long time,” said Dehradun-based Rajendra Badoni, who works in an insurance company.