Virat Kohli was the Player of the Match in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa for his 76 off 59 balls. On the first anniversary of India's triumph in Barbados, which ended their 13-year wait for a World Cup win, Kohli's crucial knock in the summit clash against the Proteas is being celebrated again. The former India captain struck six fours and two sixes in his innings.
While Kohli was the top-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, there were major concerns about his form heading into the big game. The seasoned right-handed batter had struggled for runs in the tournament and had only managed a highest of 37 from seven innings. In fact, he was dismissed without scoring on two occasions and registered five single-figure scores in seven innings.
Amid question marks over his poor form, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar shared an advice for Kohli ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup final. In an interaction with India Today, he urged the star batter to maintain his body balance while playing his strokes. The Little Master said:
"When he starts to move around, the head shakes as well. And therefore, it is not helping him. This is something you see in slow-mo as well. All that he needs to do is chill a bit and play that big hand and will give India the big score."
"Like I keep saying, what Kohli has to do is just play the shots that he plays with the same body balance. When he is looking to power the ball away, then he is losing his body balance and he misses the ball. So, all that needs to do is, that six he hit (off Reece Topley). It was brilliant balance and he just flicked the ball with the bottom hand. That's all he has to do," Gavaskar went on to add.
Batting first in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados, Team India posted 176-7 on the board as Kohli top-scored with 76. In the chase, the Proteas were held to 169-8 despite Heinrich Klaasen's blazing 52 off 27 balls.
Virat Kohli and Axar Patel's crucial stand in the 2024 T20 World Cup final
Batting first in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, the Men in Blue got off to a horrendous start, losing three wickets for 34 runs inside five overs. However, Kohli and Axar Patel (47 off 31) added 72 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter was run out. Shivam Dube (27 off 16) also chipped in with a crucial cameo to push India past 170.
With the ball, Arshdeep Singh (2-20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-18) were outstanding, while Hardik Pandya registered figures of 3-20 from three overs. He also held his nerves and bowled a superb 20th over.
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