India's long 11-year wait for a global title ended thanks to Virat Kohli's smart play and Rohit Sharma's great leadership. The star team beat South Africa by seven runs in a close final to win their second T20 World Cup on Saturday. India scored 176 for 7 in 20 overs after captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first at Kensington Oval, Barbados. South Africa was held to 169 for 8 in reply.
Prize Money:
- India - As the 2024 T20 World Cup champions, they got $2.45 million (about INR 20.42 crore).
- South Africa - As runners-up, they got $1.28 million (about INR 10.67 crore).
- England and Afghanistan - Both semi-finalists, who lost to India and South Africa, got $787,500 each (about INR 6.56 crore).
During the match, when Heinrich Klaasen scored 52 off 27 balls against India's spinners, it looked like Rohit Sharma and his team might lose. But they fought back with some help from South Africa's mistakes. In the end, Hardik Pandya, who had faced criticism, defended 16 runs in the final over, securing India's first ICC trophy since 2013 and their first T20 World Cup in the post-IPL era.
The joy and relief were clear on the faces of Indian stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The win was also a perfect farewell for head coach Rahul Dravid. Kohli (76 off 59) and Axar Patel (47 off 31) together helped India set the highest score in a T20 World Cup final.
