Rahul Dravid: Indian legend Rahul Dravid reminisced about the intense emotions during the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa. Notably, it was his last assignment as the head coach of the Indian team.
Rahul Dravid: During a conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin, Dravid was asked about his thought process while Heinrich Klassen was batting for South Africa during the final. The Proteas were chasing 177 and were cruising at one stage. However, Dravid recalled thinking that a wicket or two at that point could turn the game.
“We were thinking that if Quinton got out, then we’d have Miller and Klaasen for the seven overs, and the target was gettable. But you get the wicket of Klaasen or Miller, and the game could change,” he said on ‘Kutti Stories with Ash’.
Rahul Dravid: When Arshdeep Singh got Quinton de Kock out in the 13th over, Dravid recalled thinking that India were in the game. However, it was an absolute rollercoaster as Klassen smoked Axar Patel for 24 runs in the very next over. South Africa required just 30 runs from as many deliveries and were in the driver’s seat.
Rahul Dravid: The former India head coach then added that they still believed a wicket would get them back into the contest. Jasprit Bumrah then came in and bowled a tight over, where he conceded just four runs. Soon after, Hardik Pandya dismissed Klassen. It was a completely dramatic finish as India eventually won the game by seven runs.
“It wasn’t about, ‘Oh, the match is gone,’ we were like we just need one more wicket, let’s get Bumrah back. That’s what Rohit did, right? Got Bumrah back, he bowled a tight over and Hardik bowled a good ball to get Klaasen out. Things kind of changed, and we still needed a bit of luck towards the end. Suryakumar had to take an incredible catch, just two inches from the boundary. Amazing stuff. So many things againt you but you’re still able to pull it off,” he stated.
Klassen’s 27-ball 52 went in vain as South Africa failed to close out a game that they had within their grasp almost till the end.
India’s all-round effort to clinch T20 World Cup after 17 years
With the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India’s head coach came to a fitting end. It was a fairytale farewell for him. Moreover, it was also the perfect farewell for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is after the triumph.
India had won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. They came close to winning the event multiple times in later editions but always fell short. However, they finally laid their hands on the trophy for the second time after 17 years.
It was an all-round effort in the final against South Africa. Batting first, they posted a total of 176/7. Kohli led the charge with a crucial 59-ball 76 while Axar Patel (47) and Shivam Dube (27) made valuable contributions.
As they successfully defended the total under tremendous pressure, it was a complete effort from the bowling unit as well. Hardik Pandya bagged three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh claimed two each.
