Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid reflected on the emotional highs of the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, marking his final assignment as India’s head coach. In a discussion with Ravichandran Ashwin, Dravid shared his mindset during Heinrich Klassen’s innings for South Africa.
Chasing 177, the Proteas seemed in control at one stage, but Dravid remembered thinking that taking a couple of key wickets at that moment could change the course of the match.
“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‘.
Arshdeep Singh’s wicket of Quinton de Kock kept India in the game, but Klassen’s 24-run over gave South Africa control. Despite this, disciplined bowling by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya’s wicket of Klassen helped India secure a thrilling seven-run win.
“It wasn’t over, we just needed one more wicket. Rohit got Bumrah back, he bowled tight, Hardik got Klaasen out. Things changed, still needed some luck. Suryakumar took an incredible catch near the boundary. Against so much, we still pulled it off,” he said.
India Ends 17-Year Wait With All-Round Win At T20 World Cup
Rahul Dravid’s stint as India’s head coach concluded on a high note with the 2024 T20 World Cup, marking a storybook ending to his tenure. The victory also served as an ideal farewell for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is following the triumph.
India had claimed the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and had come close in several subsequent editions, only to miss out. After 17 years, they finally secured the trophy for the second time. India’s win over South Africa was a complete team effort.
Batting first, they scored 176/7 with Kohli’s 76, Axar’s 47, and Dube’s 27. In defense, Hardik took three wickets, while Bumrah and Arshdeep grabbed two each.
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