The US’s sparkling debut, the Afghan braves’ dream run and India’s brilliance

Bridgetown: The curtains were drawn on perhaps the most exciting of all T20 World Cups with India’s magnificent victory over South Africa in a pulsating final that aptly summed up the entire tournament which was up and down until the very end.

While India cemented their position as one of the true giants of modern cricket with their embarrassment of riches in terms of talent and an unerring determination to win, the others too, with their extremely high level of cricket, contributed magnificently to making it a successful and unforgettable tournament.

Here are some key moments from the past few weeks to reflect on:

1) US shocks Pakistan

The debuting USA, who co-hosted the spectacle with the West Indies, caused a stir when they surprised former champions Pakistan with a Super Over in the very first week of the tournament in Dallas.

A boundary off the last ball of the American chase set up a Super Over in the match. It was the tournament co-hosts who came out on top at Grand Prairie Stadium, pulling off one of the biggest upsets of all time.

2) India triumphs over arch-rival Pakistan on a difficult pitch

On a difficult pitch in New York that offered plenty of help to fast bowlers, India were asked to bat first by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and were bowled out for 119 in 19 overs after a collapse.

Pakistan seemed to be in a good flow at one point, but as usual, Babar’s team panicked when Jasprit Bumrah bowled incredibly hard. They lost the match by six runs and were on the brink of elimination in the group stage, after two consecutive defeats.

India captain Rohit Sharma deserves some credit for the win as he kept a couple of Bumrah overs at the back end, which proved decisive.

3) India-USA Group Match

The insipid pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York remained a talking point as India took on the USA, who were bowled out for 110 after Arshdeep Singh (4/9) registered his best bowling figures in T20I cricket.

In the chase, India faltered a bit and lost the big boys Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant with just 39 runs left on the scoreboard.

But they overcame the anxious moments and completed the chase thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s calculated half-century.

4) Afghanistan participates in the semi-finals for the first time

Afghanistan qualified for the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time by beating Bangladesh by eight runs in a thrilling low-scoring showdown in St. Vincent. But the highlight of their inspiring campaign was the stunning win over heavyweight Australia in their penultimate Super Eights match.

Without Rashid Khan, Australia might have been a thorn in the side of others.

6) Rohit goes all out against Australia

Leading from the front, India captain Rohit Sharma unleashed one of the most brutal attacks on the Australian bowlers during a 41-ball 92, leaving their rivals deflated as the Men in Blue stormed into the semi-finals with a convincing victory.

Because of that heavy beating, Mitchell Marsh’s men were dependent on the outcome of the Afghanistan-Bangladesh match, but it did not go in their favor.

5) Afghanistan’s 56 all go out against South Africa

In the semi-final, Afghanistan were defeated by the highly skilled South African pace bowling team, ending the giant-killers’ run in the tournament on a rather forgettable note.

6) Kuldeep-Axar duo cheat England

After Rohit Sharma once again led by example and Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya scored important runs with the bat, spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel surprised the England batsmen with their superb bowling, paving the way for India’s crushing victory over the reigning champions and their entry into the third ICC tournament final in the last 12 months.

7) Kohli finally between runs

When Virat Kohli reached the final after a poor run of scores and questions about his place in the XI, he regained his touch when it mattered most – the grand final against a quality attack – and lifted his team out of a precarious position. , standing upright among the rubble.

His 59-ball 76 laid the foundation for a total that proved just enough for the Indian bowlers to defend the trophy and snatch it away from South Africa’s reach at Kensington Oval.

8) Surya’s Dazzling Catch

Kohli may have hit his form in the big match, but if Suryakumar had not taken such a great catch, India would never have become world champions for the second time in the shortest format.

With 16 runs still needed in the last over, the dangerous David Miller hit a wide full toss from Hardik Pandya but Suryakumar recovered on the ropes, caught the ball, released it just as it crossed the boundary and then came back to take a stunning catch. This will be talked about as much as Kapil Dev’s in the 1983 season or Jonty Rhodes’ stunning strike in 1996.

9) Kohli and Rohit’s T20I retirement

Barely an hour after the epic triumph, captain Rohit Sharma, along with his old teammate Virat Kohli, announced his retirement from international T20 matches, the most fitting end to two glorious careers that have run parallel to each other for the past fifteen years.

It is not without reason that, amid the euphoria over India’s title triumph, lyrical pages have been devoted to the two greatest players of all time.