In the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup against India, South Africa looked the favourites to lift their first world title even in the later stages of the match. But they ultimately fell short as India struck back late and clinched the trophy, ending their own long drought of ICC trophies. On Sunday, the two teams will face each other once again in the 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup and Proteas’ wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock reveals what went down in the camp after that heartbreaking loss in the final.
“To be honest, after that day, we just forgot about it, in all honesty. I don’t think any of us really wanted to speak about it. Everyone went home and kind of went through their own process how to deal with it. We didn’t need to talk about it as a team. That’s pretty much it. We never really spoke about it. I think from there, I haven’t been around with the team since then, not much, so they probably have, but I’ve only just joined for the last couple of months. So, as far as I know that’s all that’s happened,” de Kock said on Saturday in the pre-match press conference.
In that match in Barbados, Indian bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh kept calm in the end as India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat as they ended their 11-year ICC trophy drought and won the T20 World Cup for the second time in their history by beating South Africa by 7 runs. Heinrich Klaasen was looking ominous with a quickfire 52 before Pandya sent him back. David Miller followed, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Suryakumar Yadav, also off Pandya as South Africa could not recover.
In the first innings, Virat Kohli scored 76 as India posted 176/7, the highest ever team total in the history of the T20 World Cup final against South Africa at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados on Saturday. Shivam Dube supported him in the death, scoring 27 runs.
