The Super 10 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 kicked off in India on 15 March at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur with the host nation taking on the Kiwis at the inaugural match of the tournament.
Despite the fact that the 'Men in Blue’ started their World T20 campaign as the overwhelming favorites, it was the West Indies Cricket Team led by Darren Sammy who had the final laugh in the ultimate match of the competition at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Although most of the players in the famous Indian batting line-up failed to create an impact throughout the recently concluded World T20, Virat Kohli exhibited a string of stellar batting performances to guide the 'Men in Blue’ to the semi-final stage of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand side created quite a lot of stir during the early stages of the competition, defeating the Indians by 47 runs in the opening match of the T20 World Cup. They also went on to win all of their group stage matches only to crash out of the tournament in the first semi-final against England.
However, the men from the Caribbean kept their composure in the big final against the Three Lions to pull off a memorable 4-wicket victory to clinch their second World T20 title in the City of Joy.
Here are ten iconic images from the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 that sum up the entire tournament:
1. Chris Gayle celebrates his 48-ball century against England
West Indies took on their English counterparts in the 3rd Super 10 stage match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Three Lions posted a massive 182 runs on the board thanks to a solid overall performance by the English batting line-up.
The Caribbean side needed a solid start with the required run rate hanging around the 9.15 mark. Although the 'Men in Maroon’ was in a bit of spot of bother after having lost one of their openers, Johnson Charles in the very first over of the run-chase, it was Christopher Henry Gayle, who once again sealed the deal for the Caribbean team.
Gayle scored the first and the only century of the World Championship as he remained not out on 100 off 48 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and 11 sixes in the process.
2. Amitabh Bachchan singing the Indian national anthem before the Indo-Pak match at Eden Gardens
The host nation, India took on their arch-rivals, Pakistan on 19 March 2016 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was a must-win game for the 'Men in Blue’ who had previously lost their inaugural match against New Zealand by 47 runs. The Pakistani side, on the other hand, was brimming with confidence after having beaten Bangladesh by 55 runs at the same venue.
The stage was set as the magnificent Eden Gardens was filled to the brim cheering for their favourite 'Men in Blue’ all along the course of the match. Although a heavy thundershower reduced the length of the match to 18-over-a-side, it couldn't even create a dent to the atmosphere of the ground.
Moreover, Amitabh Bachchan's rendition of the Indian national anthem before the start of play was more than enough to give goosebumps to the 1.3 billion Indians present all over the globe and make them ready to get behind the back of their cricketing idols.
3. Virat Kohli's bow to Sachin Tendulkar
Virat Kohli showcased his brilliant and effortless batting performance throughout the course of the ICC World T20. After Pakistan had posted a par score of 118 in their allotted 20 overs, it was the 27-year-old right-handed batsman from Delhi who guided the ‘Men in Blue’ to yet another successful run-chase.
Virat Kohli pulled off a stellar 37-ball 55 against a formidable Pakistan bowling line-up to steer India over the victory line. Moreover, the way he celebrated his half century- bowing down to his idol, Sachin Tendulkar- is sure to go down the history books.
4. Mushfiqur Rahim's premature celebration
India and Bangladesh were a part of an unforgetful encounter on 23 March 2016 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The 'Men in Blue’ edged past the Bangladeshi Tigers by a single run in order to keep their World T20 dream alive for the time being.
After India had posted a slightly below par score of 146 runs on the board, a lot of people thought that Bangladesh was going to register the first upset of the tournament. However, after a hard fought battle, the equation before the last over required Bangladesh to score 12 runs off the remaining 6 deliveries.
Captain Cool, Mahendra Singh Dhoni handed the last over to Hardik Pandya and the plan actually seemed to backfire after Mushfiqur Rahim hit two consecutive boundaries off the Hardik Pandya over to tilt the match in Bangladesh's favour.
Although, Mushfiqur Rahim couldn't ultimately win the game for his country, his premature celebration after hitting the second boundary of the final over grabbed a lot of attention.
5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni running Mustafizur Rahman out
With Bangladesh requiring just 2 runs off the last 3 deliveries to win the match against India, the ‘Men in Blue’ pulled off a thriller to keep their ICC World T20 2016 dream alive. Hardik Pandya scalped the important wickets of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah in the fourth and the fifth deliveries of the final over respectively to turn the match around on its head.
However, it was the Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni who once again grabbed all the limelight after running Mustafizur Rahman out in the final delivery of the match to steer the Indian side over the victory line.
6. Chris Gayle's selfie with the Afghan Cricket Team
Afghanistan registered the one and only upset of the ICC World T20 2016 after they had beaten the soon-to-be-champions, West Indies in a group stage match by 6 runs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
It was a historic day for not only Afghan cricket but for Afghan sports as a whole. The charismatic West Indian opening batsman Chris Gayle made the day even more memorable for the minnows as he clicked a selfie with the entire Afghanistan Cricket Team while congratulating them on their remarkable win.
7. A dejected Virat Kohli after Team India's exit from the ICC World T20 2016
The Indian Cricket Team crashed out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 after their defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The second semi-final at Mumbai was evidently going to be a high scoring one courtesy the batting-friendly pitch and the shorter boundary line.
Although, the Indians had put on a formidable 192 on the board, the Windies batting unit led by Lendl Simmons and Andre Russel sealed the deal for the men from the Caribbean with a couple of balls to spare.
Virat Kohli showcased his all-round expertise against the Caribbean side as he picked up the wicket of Johnson Charles in his very first ball of the tournament after scoring an incredible 47-ball 89 during the first half of the match.
However, as Andre Russell's hit off the final Virat Kohli over sailed above the boundary line, a dejected Kohli couldn't hide his disappointment.
8. A heartbroken Ben Stokes after the final over of the tournament
West Indies and England fought their hearts out in the grand finale of the ICC World T20 2016 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Before the final over of the tournament was to be bowled, the match seemed to be titled in favour of the Three Lions with the Caribbean side needing 19 runs to win off the final six deliveries.
However, Carlos Brathwaite had something different on his mind as he belted four back-to-back sixes off the ultimate Ben Stokes over to guide the West Indies to their second ICC World T20 title.
As Carlos Brathwaite hit the fourth consecutive six of the over, the entire Eden Gardens erupted with joy before a dispirited Ben Stokes who was almost on the verge of breaking down in front of 65,000 people in the city of joy.
9. The Champion dance by the West Indian Cricket Team
After their ICC World T20 2016 triumph, the Eden Gardens witnessed a jubilant West Indian side dancing to the tunes of the latest Dwayne Bravo single, Champion. The song was recorded and released by the 32-year-old West Indian allrounder in the month of March before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup.
The lyrics of the single not only applauds the heroics of cricketers such as Sir Vivian Richards, Malcolm Marshal, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and singer himself but also includes other distinguished personalities like Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Serena Williams and Usain Bolt.
The song, thanks to its catchy tune, has gone viral after West Indies defeated England at the ICC T20 World Cup final at the Eden Gardens last Sunday.
10. The historic double by West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup 2016
The island nation of West Indies pulled off a historic double at the ICC World T20 2016 in India. The Caribbean women's side stunned their Australian counterparts defeating the latter by 8 wickets, earlier on Sunday.
Later that day, the West Indies Men's Team went on to defeat England by 4 wickets to win the coveted trophy twice in a span of six years.
The above picture exhibits Darren Sammy, the captain of the West Indian Men's Team and Stephanie Taylor, the skipper of the Windies Women's Team with their respective trophies in front of the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
