T20 World Cup final key moments: Wicket of Klaasen the big turning point

India beat South Africa by seven runs to lift the 2024 T20 World Cup following the final in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday.

Both South Africa and India reached the final without losing a game. After winning the toss and batting first, India scored 176/7 in their 20 overs, with South Africa falling agonisingly short on 169/8.

Here are the key moments from the match.

India innings

South Africa’s Marco Jansen concedes 15 runs in the first over of the innings, with three fours being hit by the Indian openers – it is the most expensive first over of the tournament, and sets India on their way

In the fourth over, after Keshav Maharaj had taken the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav is also dismissed (by Kagiso Rabada) to leave his team on 34/3, and in some trouble. India’s scoring rate doesn’t slow down though.

Virat Kohli then combines for innings-saving (and ultimately match-winning) partnerships with Axar Patel (47 off 31) and Shivam Dube (27 off 16) to help their team to post a commanding 176 in 20 overs.

Kohli, who’d gone into the final with an average of just 10 runs per innings at the tournament and under pressure to perform on the biggest stage, is dismissed with seven balls to go in the innings, with his score on 76 from 59 balls – a man of the match showing.

South Africa innings

After the early dismissals of Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock combines with Tristan Stubbs to get the South Africa innings back on track.

Stubbs (31 off 21) though is dismissed just short of the nine over mark, after being bowled and with the SA score on 81 (three down) just when he looks set and is playing well, to again put the pressure on the middle order.

Then, the loss of De Kock, in a major blow to the run chase, in the 13th over for 39 off 31, after India had just moved a fielder to deep square leg after the batter had clobbered a four in the same area the ball before, leaves South Africa on 106/4.

In the 15th over, with Heinrich Klaasen set and playing brilliantly, the middle order batter clobbers 24 runs off Axar Patel to leave his team needing only 30 runs off 30 balls to win the World Cup. India are in trouble, and SA look well set to end the trophy drought.

However, in the major turning point of the final, Klaasen (52 off 27 balls) is dismissed with the first ball of the 17th over, edging Hardik Pandya behind to the wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, and South Africa are left on 151 for five — still in a strong position, but the danger man is gone. The dismissal happens moments after Pant had been treated for an injury, which halted play for several minutes.

Then, following some superb late bowling by Jasprit Bumrah (2/18 in four) and Arshdeep Singh (2/20 in four) South Africa’s innings crumbles with the batters unable to keep up with the required rate and they eventually need 16 runs off the last over to win the title.

David Miller (21 off 17) is then caught, brilliantly on the long off boundary, by Suryakumar Yadav, ending SA’s hopes of World Cup glory. Footage later shows that while the catch was taken cleanly, Yadav may have stepped outside the marked white line on the field indicating the boundary, but inside the spongy boundary marker.