Jasprit Bumrah and his unmatched talent help India snatch T20 World Cup victory from jaws of defeat

India literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to break their agonising 11-year-long ICC title jinx and win the T20 World Cup 2024. When Heinrich Klaasen smashed 22 runs in the 15th over bowled by Axar Patel, the match seemed done and dusted with just 30 more needed from the last 30 balls.

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South Africa still had David ‘killer’ Miller in the middle and more than anything, it seemed like India had already conceded defeat. The shoulders were down, the energy was gone and the faces were dull. It wasn’t just the players, even the fans had lost almost all hope. The WhatsApp groups were abuzz with messages of how India would have to wait for at least one more year to win an ICC title and how there could not have been a better chance to break the drought than now.

A defeat wouldn’t have just meant a longer wait for an ICC title or reinforcing the narrative that India are the new chokers of world cricket, but it would have seen head coach Rahul Dravid walk away with no World Cup win in his career as player or coach, Kohli quit the T20Is without a World Cup title, and Rohit Sharma most probably end his tenure as captain without the silverware.

But none of this happened. Dravid and Kohli are now T20 World Cup winners. Rohit, who won the trophy as a player in 2007, has now carved his own legacy by guiding the Men in Blue to a World Cup title.

Read | Rohit joins Kohli in retiring from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup triumph

And we all know who they would be thanking once they get the chance to reflect on that final — it’s none other than Jasprit Bumrah.

We often hear that he’s one of the best bowlers of this generation, or perhaps the very best. However, after his clutch performance in the final when everything seemed lost, it’s clear that Bumrah isn’t just the best bowler — he’s the best cricketer in the world right now.

He possesses unparalleled skills, but his greatest strength lies in his consistency. It sounds simple, yet it’s arguably the toughest task in the world — to maintain such excellence every day, in every over, and on every ball.

The final at Barbados was the perfect example of how you can’t be that good in every moment, but somehow Bumrah is.

Rohit had been leading India by example with his explosive batting from the top but in the final, he fell cheaply for just nine runs in the second over of the match. Rohit’s intentions were right but his execution with the sweep shot wasn’t.

Kohli crafted a match-winning 76 off 59 balls, with Rohit, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav departing cheaply around him. Before the final, Kohli had managed only 75 runs in seven innings. Yet, when the moment called for a world-class response, he answered resoundingly. However, Tristan Stubbs’ aggressive 31 off 21 balls and Klaasen’s rapid 52 off just 27 underscored that while Kohli’s innings was commendable, it had its constraints.

What eventually converted it into a match-winning innings was Bumrah’s brilliance.

Let’s rewind to the moment when Klaasen orchestrated carnage in Patel’s final over, seemingly making victory a mere formality for South Africa, poised to claim their first World Cup trophy.

Enter Bumrah.

He had two overs left and for a player of his calibre, 12 balls are more than enough to swing a match that already looks over.

In those 12 deliveries, Bumrah conceded only six runs, bowled seven dot balls, and dismissed Marco Jansen. Meanwhile, between the two overs, Klaasen concluded his innings by mistiming a slower ball outside off from Hardik Pandya. The pressure that Bumrah applied during his over proved decisive during Pandya’s bowling.

In those two overs by Bumrah, Miller survived an inside edge that narrowly missed the stumps and was beaten on the outside edge once. Klaasen somehow kept a yorker away from his stumps, and with each delivery, it felt like something was on the verge of happening.

That consistency, determination, and ability to produce his best on every ball when the game seemed lost is a mastery unmatched by any other player.

By the time Bumrah finished his spell, South Africa still needed 20 runs from the last two overs, and their morale had been shattered. They tried but couldn’t achieve what seemed destined just a few overs earlier, until Rohit called Bumrah back into the attack.