IN the end, the best team won — the team that held its nerve best when the stakes were the highest. Batting lynchpin Virat Kohli had laid the platform before bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah brought his side back into the game and when Suryakumar Yadav took that catch — the debate will rage on whether it was a legitimate take or a six — the glory was India’s. For Rohit Sharma’s men, the T20 World Cup crown ended an 11-year wait for an international title. For South Africa, the loss in their maiden global tournament final adds to their long list of heartbreaks. The title seemed to be theirs with 30 runs required off the last 30 deliveries; the momentum with them. But India came back, just like they did against arch-rivals Pakistan in the first round of the tournament, to stun the South Africans. Bumrah delivered telling overs to clip Proteas’ wings. Yadav then pulled off a stunner on the boundary — replays later showing that the skirting had been pushed back — to dismiss David Miller. For their stalwarts, Kohli — who hit 76 in the decider — and captain Sharma, it was a fitting farewell with the duo announcing that it was their last Twenty20 International. India took the title by winning all their matches, overpowering a South African team that had won all of its games before the final, and even without Kohli and Sharma, they look well-placed to dominate cricket’s shortest format in the years to come.

There are lessons here. India stuck with Kohli and Sharma even though their strike rates came under question. They backed the others too. Most importantly, they kept faith. A World Cup where Afghanistan made a shock run to the semi-finals, and where there were some stunning upsets, has shown that the big boys of world cricket cannot rest on their laurels. There is a need to constantly improve to be the best.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2024