In a pivotal moment during the T20 World Cup 2024 final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, spinner Keshav Maharaj delivered a game-changing performance by taking two crucial wickets in three balls, disrupting India’s batting lineup. Maharaj dismissed both Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant in the same over, providing a significant setback to India’s innings on Saturday.
India started the match strongly against South Africa. Virat Kohli took an aggressive stance against left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, striking three boundaries in the first over, which yielded 15 runs. However, their momentum was short-lived as Maharaj’s introduction in the second over turned the tide in South Africa’s favour.
South Africa’s skipper Aiden Markram’s decision to bring Maharaj into the attack early proved to be a masterstroke. Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, managed to remove Rohit Sharma for just 9 runs off 5 balls on the fourth delivery of his over. Maharaj delivered a tossed-up ball on the off-stump, which Rohit attempted to sweep, only to be caught by Heinrich Klaasen at backward square leg. This dismissal was a significant blow for India as Rohit had been in excellent form, scoring consecutive fifties in the previous matches.
Rishabh Pant gets out on a duck
Maharaj continued to exert pressure on the Indian team by dismissing Rishabh Pant for a duck on the last ball of the same over. Pant, too, attempted a sweep, resulting in the ball going airborne off the top edge of his bat. Quinton de Kock took an easy catch, making it two wickets in three balls for Maharaj. This double strike by Maharaj helped South Africa recover quickly after the costly first over.
India faced further challenges as they lost another wicket in the fifth over. Suryakumar Yadav, who had been in great form, was dismissed for just 3 runs off 4 balls by pacer Kagiso Rabada. Yadav tried to hit a big shot on a short ball from Rabada but was caught by Heinrich Klaasen near the boundary rope, adding to India’s woes.
Despite the early setbacks, Virat Kohli helped India regain some stability. Demonstrating resilience, Kohli stayed firm at one end and formed a crucial partnership with Axar Patel, who was promoted to number five. Together, they fought back, with Kohli remaining unbeaten on 36 off 29 balls and Axar contributing 26 off 20 balls, guiding India to 75/3 after 10 overs. This partnership provided a much-needed recovery for India in the face of Maharaj’s early breakthroughs.
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