Former India World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni congratulated the Indian team for winning the 2024 T20 World Cup title after beating South Africa in the final by seven runs in Barbados on Saturday.
“World Cup Champions 2024. My heart rate was up, well done on being calm, having the self belief and doing what you guys did. From all the Indians back home and everywhere in the world a big thank you for bringing the World Cup home," he thanked for a special birthday gift.
Dhoni was captain when India clinched the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, in 2007, after beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. Under his captaincy, India also won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, which was the last ICC title the Men in Blue clinched before Saturday.
South Africa, chasing the 177 target in the final, fell seven runs short of the target. The only players to put up a front against the Indian bowling attack were Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen who scored 39 off 31 and 52 off 27 respectively.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma had won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision, at first, did not seem right as Rohit, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav fell early on in the innings.
However, Kohli who couldn't perform in the entire T20 World Cup 2024, blasted an innings of 76 runs off 59 balls, helping India to reach a total of 176 at the loss of seven wickets.
Accepting the Player of the Match award, Kohli also confirmed that this was his last T20 World Cup and T20I match while representing India and he will now hang up his boots.
Kohli’s glorious T20I career began in 2010 and the veteran batter went on to represent India in 125 T20Is scoring 4,188 runs averaging 48.69.
For India, this is their second T20 World Cup title win. The country won their first T20 World Cup title in 2007 (the inaugural edition of the tournament) defeating Pakistan in the final.
This T20 World Cup 2024 also ends India’s drought of trophies as they last won an ICC trophy back in 2013 when they won the Champions Trophy under the leadership of MS Dhoni.
