After South Africa lost to India in an exciting T20 World Cup final, despite being in a strong position, captain Aiden Markram said he was “gutted.”
With six wickets remaining, the Proteas needed 30 runs from 30 balls, but they were seven runs short as India produced a fantastic comeback to win the event a second time.
India scored 176-7, with Axar Patel, who was moved up to No. 5, hitting 47 and Virat Kohli ending a terrible run of form with 76.
At the beginning of the 17th over, South Africa was up to 151-4 after Heinrich Klaasen hit five sixes in a 27-ball 52 and Quinton de Kock scored 39.
Hardik Pandya dismissed the dangerous Klaasen at a crucial moment before Jasprit Bumrah all but closed the game out, ending a remarkable tournament with sensational figures of 2-18 from four overs.
South Africa were aiming to lift their first World Cup trophy but fell short as India became T20 champions for the first time since 2007 and won a World Cup in either format for the first time in 13 years.
‘Obviously we’re gutted,’ Proteas captain Markram said. ‘It will take some time for us to reflect on this.
‘We’ve had a great campaign but for the time being, this hurts. I am so proud of all my players and everyone involved in this team.
‘We bowled very well, The pitch didn’t give them much to work with. We thought it was a chaseable total. It was a great game of cricket, I’m chuffed with all my guys, it’s hard not to get over the line but I’ll always be proud of them.
‘We’ve seen that it’s not over until the last ball for a lot of our games. It changed quickly at the end there. But we were in a great position. We know we could’ve won the game.
‘This will always be a proud day for us, regardless.’
India all-rounder Hardik, who bowled the final over, added: ‘This means a lot. It’s so emotional right now, we have worked so hard for this.
‘Something wasn’t clicking for us recently but today, it did and we got to give our people what they were waiting for.
‘I haven’t said a word over the last six months when a lot of things have been said about me. It has been unfair but I knew that I could shine. This makes it so much more special.
‘We always believe we could do it from any scenario provided we kept cool and performed our plans. We had to let the pressure get to them. I won’t forget this sensation for a long time.’
India superstar Bumrah was named player of the tournament after taking 15 wickets in eight games at an absurd economy rate of just 4.17.
The 30-year-old seamer said: ‘I am someone who tries to keep my emotions in check but the emotions are taking over right now. This is such a special feeling.
‘We felt like were in real trouble in the middle overs out there so it is a great feeling.
‘I am over the moon. My son is here, my whole family. I wanted to do something special for India. There is no better feeling than this.’