The match of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 was very exciting. In this match, India won the T20 World Cup title for the second time by defeating South Africa by seven runs. However, fans are still debating what was the turning point of the match. In fact, South Africa were in a position to win the match at one point, thanks to Henrik Klaasen’s blistering half-century. He needed 30 runs to win off the last 20 balls. But after this the Indian bowlers made a brilliant comeback. Hardik took the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, followed by Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh who bowled brilliant overs.
Needing a run-a-ball at one point due to the Indian bowlers, South Africa needed 16 runs in the last over to win. Hardik Pandya came in to bowl the last over for India, having David Miller caught out by Suryakumar Yadav on the very first ball. The catch was superb and is being appreciated everywhere. However, the player of the match award went to Virat Kohli, whose innings of 76 off 59 balls led India to 176, surprising former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.
espn cricinfo But on a post-match show, Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Kohli’s innings of 76 off 59 balls had put India in trouble, after which the fast bowlers came to the rescue. Manjrekar also said that his choice for player of the match would not have been Kohli but any Indian bowler. Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Playing that innings, Hardik Pandya, who is one of their most explosive batsmen, faced only two balls. So I think India’s batting was good, but Virat Kohli probably played the innings that made India lose. A difficult situation and it proved to be almost the same before the arrival of these guys bowlers.
Sanjay Manjrekar said, “India was in a losing position, the chances of a win (for South Africa) were 90 per cent. Changing the match completely, he really saved Virat Kohli’s innings as he spent almost half the innings on a 128-run strike. “My Player of the Would have been the bowler of the match because he really took the game out of defeat and won it for India.”
While former Zimbabwean cricketer Andy Flower had a different thinking. According to him, India did very well with the bat, putting a total of 176 runs on the board. But, he admitted that if Rohit Sharma’s team had lost the match, Kohli would have faced a lot of criticism. Andy Flower said, “If India had been bowled there, I think Virat Kohli would have been criticized a lot. At the halfway stage, I thought enough was enough for India, and it was too much for South Africa.” “That would be a very difficult target.”