A haunting image from 2007 captures captain Rahul Dravid sitting dejected after Sri Lanka defeated India by 69 runs in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Indian cricket team had just faced one of its most disappointing days, exiting the ODI World Cup after failing to chase a modest target on a seemingly harmless pitch.
Fast forward 17 years, and on his final day as India’s head coach, Dravid leapt out of his chair as Anrich Nortje hit Hardik Pandya for a single to deep midwicket.
South Africa needed 30 off 30 balls with six wickets in hand to win its maiden World Cup title, but Dravid’s India fought back to end an 11-year wait for an ICC title.
India was the world champion again.
India captain Rohit Sharma accepted the trophy he first won as a rookie player back in 2007. In many ways, he forged this white-ball team in his image.
A young Rohit Sharma during the 2007 T20 World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Having won his first ICC trophy as captain, Rohit announced his retirement from T20Is. Moments earlier, Virat Kohli had ended his T20 international career, breaking the news shortly after receiving the Player of the Match award for his 59-ball 76 in India’s seven-run victory.
Their retirements, following the T20 World Cup win in Bridgetown, represent a poignant and poetic full circle. For well over a decade, Kohli and Rohit have been at the forefront of India’s stellar achievements in international cricket.
A second T20 world title was something both were chasing desperately, especially after the gut-wrenching defeat in the 50-over final last year. Now that the T20 World Cup trophy is in the cabinet, they’ve passed the baton to the next generation of T20 cricketers.
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Two promising talents, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh, who have already been initiated into the T20 scheme, did not get a game in this tournament but have undoubtedly learned a lot by watching the seniors play. It’s now time for them to make their own memories.
The path is now clear for India’s young talent to take over the T20 reins. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Tactically, the retirements of Rohit and Kohli open up numerous possibilities for the side. The team now has the chance to establish a new T20I opening combination, with Jaiswal seemingly having secured one spot.
Suryakumar Yadav can move to No. 3, while Rinku Singh can be slotted in as a death-overs power-hitter. His ability to take down pace bowlers from overs 17-20 will make his inclusion even more enticing.
The performance of spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel, both with the ball and the bat, has been outstanding, highlighted by his crucial 47 in the final. This will be hard to overlook, especially considering Ravindra Jadeja’s below-par campaign.
Axar’s electrifying fielding is an added bonus, further enhancing his value to the team. It was a moment of redemption for all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
After a challenging IPL 2024 campaign, both as captain and player, he redeemed himself spectacularly in this competition. He capped it off by successfully defending 15 runs in the last over. Hardik finished the tournament with 144 runs and 11 wickets in eight matches.
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Meanwhile, it was heartbreak once again for South Africa at the final hurdle. The Proteas needed 26 runs from 24 balls to chase down a target of 177, but the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 52 from 27 balls, shifted the momentum dramatically in India’s favor.
This match could well have been Quinton de Kock’s final international appearance for his country, adding to the disappointment of missing the chance to usher in a new era for South African cricket. Despite the loss, there were many positives for the team, including Klaasen’s excellent form, Aiden Markram’s captaincy skills, and Ottniel Baartman’s impressive bowling.
A dejected South African team after the final defeat. | Photo Credit: AFP
There was more anguish in store, this time for the 2022 world champion, England, which made it to the semifinals riding on a mix of some good cricket and dollops of luck.
But in a bit of symmetry, after the events of Adelaide 2022, their run was snapped by rampant India spinners, who sent Jos Buttler’s side tumbling to a 68-run defeat in Georgetown, Guyana. The low, slow surface there proved much too much for the Three Lions, whose power-hitters clearly like pace on.
Under the leadership of Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott, England has lost both its white-ball world titles in the past seven months. Mott, who was appointed as the white-ball coach in 2022, quickly led the team to victory in the T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, since then, the results have been mixed, raising questions about whether Mott will remain in charge for the upcoming series against Australia in September.
With no T20 World Cup for the next two years, England has time to reassess. The next edition will be held in India and Sri Lanka, where England is familiar with the conditions and will know how to improve.
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Additionally, the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year will also feature slow, low pitches, similar to those that have recently exposed England’s inability to perform on such surfaces.
Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket, faces a considerable challenge ahead. A complete reboot could be on the cards, including debates over Buttler’s captaincy.
England’s Jos Buttler and his team after the semifinal loss to India. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
England’s arch-rival, Australia, fared even worse, crashing out after back-to-back losses in the Super 8s and failing to reach the finals of the ICC flagship event for the second consecutive time.
David Warner’s departure leaves a significant gap at the top of the order. The 37-year-old exits as his country’s leading men’s T20I run-scorer, amassing 3,277 runs at an average of 33.43.
Jake Fraser-McGurk is likely to fill Warner’s spot. Fraser-McGurk impressed during the last IPL season, representing the Delhi Capitals and scoring 330 runs in nine innings at a strike rate exceeding 200.
Warner even posted a photo on social media of the pair drinking by the pool with the caption — ‘All yours now, champion’.
The Australian selectors must also consider the ageing squad, as only Tim David (28) and Nathan Ellis (29) were under 30 among the 13 players used in this T20 World Cup. By the time of the next edition, Glenn Maxwell will be 37, Marcus Stoinis 36, Mitchell Starc 36, and Josh Hazlewood 35, indicating that the T20 team may need a significant overhaul.
Australia’s David Warner played his last international match this T20 World Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP
Meanwhile, the early exit of co-host West Indies robbed the event of its festive fervour. Though fans were disappointed with the result, they could not fault the effort.
Rovman Powell’s men, serenaded by Calypso legend David Rudder’s live rendition of the anthem, Rally Round the West Indies, before the games, brought large crowds back to the stadium.
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“When you look on a large scale, we haven’t won the World Cup. We aren’t in the semi-finals,” Powell had said earlier. “But I think the cricket we have played in the last 12 months is commendable. Credit has to be given to the team. If you can move from number 9 to number 3 in the world in a year, that’s tremendous work.”
Powell is right. Since March last year, West Indies has won multiple series against South Africa (away), India, England, and South Africa (at home).
Even in its only series defeat, against Australia, its batters racked up scores of 202, 207, and 220. This is a side that can challenge for the title in the future, led by the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Powell, Akeal Hosein, and Alzarri Joseph.
West Indies’ Roston Chase and Rovman Powell. | Photo Credit: AP
Meanwhile, co-host USA’s dream run to the Super 8s will remain one of the lasting moments of this tournament, and its win over Pakistan a seminal event.
Having already won its first match at a T20 World Cup by beating Canada, USA held its nerve in a Super Over to defeat the 2022 finalist. USA even ran South Africa close in its opening Super 8 match before being comprehensively beaten by West Indies and England.
By qualifying for the Super 8s, the USA secured direct entry to the next edition in 2026. However, it currently has no fixtures planned against major cricketing nations before that tournament. Securing victories against stronger teams will be a top priority, but the players also need to adapt to different conditions and pitches.
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The drop-in wickets at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium drew criticism for their poor quality, leading to low-scoring matches. This was evident after just two games at the venue, with South Africa bowling Sri Lanka out for 77 — its lowest T20 score — and India dismissing Ireland for 96.
Consequently, the toss in New York became pivotal, with the team bowling first gaining a significant advantage. Eight of the 16 matches in the USA leg were allotted to New York, which included the marquee India vs Pakistan match. It is thus evident that besides investment in talent, USA also needs to up its game when it comes to the holistic upliftment of cricket infrastructure to compete with the best.
Team Afghanistan after its loss to South Africa in the semifinal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
The World Cup was illuminated by many more such remarkable moments. Like when Afghanistan killed two birds with one stone by defeating Bangladesh, thereby knocking both Bangladesh and Australia out of the tournament.
Afghanistan’s first semifinal appearance in an ICC event reaffirms its remarkable progress since qualifying for the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2010. Another highlight was Uganda’s qualification and participation in its maiden T20 World Cup, having risen through the ranks in the Africa Qualifier.
On the other hand, the early exits of Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the first round should prompt introspection regarding their team compositions and strategies.
There is a compelling case to be made here for this being one of the most engaging tournaments in recent years, with an expanded pool of 20 teams. While there’s still work to be done in terms of scheduling matches, engaging a wider audience, and enhancing the spectator experience, the excitement and unpredictability of the competition were undeniable.
After nearly a month of traversing the Americas and playing 55 matches, the fact that the winner was decided on the last ball of the final is a win for the sport.
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