'Doing everything' - Underrated moment that changed the T20 World Cup final

The Indian cricket team thrashed South Africa on a glorious day in Barbados during the 2024 T20 World Cup final on June 29. Following heartbreaks in the WTC Final 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023 Final against Australia, Rohit Sharma and his team saw immense significance in the win against the strong Proteas camp on Saturday. The Men in Blue went on to score 176 runs in the given 20 overs, thanks to great batting from Virat Kohli and Axar Patel.

However, during the chase, Team India's spinners, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, set the tone for the match and destroyed the Proteas batting line-up. Star batters Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen, however, came dangerously close to turning the course for South Africa. India's hopes were greatly jeopardised by Klaasen's quick half-century off just 26 balls.

South Africa seemed destined to win, chasing just 26 runs from the last four overs. With another possible sorrow ahead of them, India's memories of past mistakes loomed tremendously. However, the match took an unexpected turn when Heinrich Klaasen edged a ball to Rishabh Pant, leading to his wicket during the 17th over of the game.

Under extreme pressure, South Africa scored just 10 runs in the following three overs after this wicket. South Africa's problems were made worse by the dismissal of great batter David Miller on the first ball of the last over. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was able to keep his cool and restrict South Africa to seven runs below the mark thanks to an exceptional catch by Suryakumar Yadav of the Miller.

How did Rishabh Pant's injury helped India win the final match?

A crucial incident occurred featuring Rishabh Pant between the 16th and 17th overs. The 26-year-old cricketer looked to have injured his right knee, needing medical care. The brief interruption halted South Africa's moment and flow in the game. The tone of the game entirely shifted when play resumed as Klaasen erred in the hit and Pant grabbed him. Following his wicket, Team India made sure that South Africa couldn't regain momentum in the last three overs.

In the same vein, former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri said, 

"Doing everything possible to slow down the game at this stage just to see if they can break the rhythm of these two players."

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