‘Gut wrenching’: South Africa’s choke puts India on top of T20 World

In a Twenty20 World Cup where cricket’s global behemoth India had all the advantages, it still took an extraordinary collapse by South Africa and a marginal umpiring decision to hand Rohit Sharma’s team the trophy in Barbados.

Virat Kohli and Rohit each retired from T20 cricket in triumph, Rahul Dravid finished as India’s coach in the best possible manner, and South Africa’s current generation felt a version of the anguished pain experienced by their storied forebears.

Jasprit Bumrah bowls Marco Jansen.Credit: AP

But, it could all have been so different. With 30 balls left, the Proteas needed 30 runs; due to a typically explosive innings by Heinrich Klaasen, who monstered India’s spinners at Kensington Oval after Kohli (76 from 59 balls) anchored a middling target.

With Klaasen and David Miller at the crease, South Africa looked to have the task well in hand in their first-ever World Cup final, after decades of near misses and “chokes”.

But after a delay in play when Rishabh Pant sought treatment for a knee problem, Klaasen edged a wide ball, Marco Jansen came and went quickly, and Keshav Maharaj played a fumbly innings that denied Miller the strike. Jasprit Bumrah’s closing overs were as good as his new ball pearl to bowl Reeza Hendricks.

Sixteen were then needed from the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya, and when Miller hoisted the first ball down the ground he looked likely to collect six runs.

That was to reckon without Suryakumar Yadav, who sprinted around the boundary and juggled the catch without – in the opinion of the third umpire – touching the rope. Subsequent replays, which were not used before the “out” decision was made, indicated that this was a very tight call indeed.

Miller’s wicket effectively ended the contest, meaning Rohit and company would lift the trophy with the help of the BCCI secretary Jay Shah, leaving plenty of South Africa tears to be shed as a post-game rain shower drenched the ground.

“It’s just gut-wrenching – that’s really what it is,” Proteas captain Aiden Markram said.

“Hopefully it’s one step closer. It’s tournament cricket, it’s tough cricket, it’s not easy to win trophies, and you’ve got to take your hats off to a team like India for lifting the trophy.

“It’s not the first game of cricket that’s been lost with a team needing 30 off 30 – it’s more that India was allowed to bowl well, they’re allowed to field well, they’re allowed to go from that position to a position of strength. It happens often in this game.

“From a run a ball it can go to 10 an over in the space of one over. So, your game plan as a batter changes. You’re potentially thinking you’re keeping the ball on the ground, running hard until the job’s done. [But if] the bowler bowls a good over, next thing you’d be searching for boundaries; everything changes quickly like that.”

Shah’s appearance was a departure from custom, as it was last year when India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, handed the ODI Cup to Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins in Ahmedabad.

But then this was the first tournament of a new ICC rights deal, in which $US3 billion ($4.5 billion) was squeezed out of Disney Star for world cups over four years, largely because the global body’s commercial team sold a vision of optimisation for the Indian market.

The triumphant Indian team went through the T20 World Cup undefeated.Credit: Getty Images

In practice, this has meant that India played every one of their games at 10.30am local time (8pm India time), so they may be seen by as many Indian viewers as possible.

By extension, team India had total certainty about match timings and venues from the start of the tournament to the finish, while all other countries were shuttled around the United States and the Caribbean with little thought as to their own recovery.

South Africa, meanwhile, are virtually a cricket subsidiary of India these days, with their two-year-old domestic T20 competition played by six teams all run by Indian Premier League owners.

That eventuality has arguably helped South Africa’s progression as a T20 force, but it is also part of a wider picture, as India’s financial might has increasingly greater say in how the cricket world is run.

Indian veterans Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma in celebration mode.Credit: Getty Images

For Rohit and his exceptional team that will not matter so much right now.

Instead, they are toasting a first global tournament win since 2011, a first T20 World Cup since the first edition in 2007, and the fourth cup for India overall.

“Even though we were behind in the game after 15 overs when they required just 30-odd runs in five or four overs, the belief was still there,” Rohit said.

“We wanted to fight, we wanted to fight and then eventually we managed to cross the line.

“I wanted this badly. You’re so desperate for certain things in life, and I was very desperate for this in my life, so [I’m] happy that we eventually crossed the line this time.”

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