In the final against South Africa at Bridgetown, Virat Kohli brought up his first fifty of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
A changed approach at the start
Virat Kohli came into the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup final with a series aggregate of 75 runs off 75 balls, at an average of 10.71. There was talk about his over-aggressive approach too early in the innings, which was significantly responsible for the string of low scores.
Rohit Sharma won the toss, opted to bat, and got a single off the first ball of the final, off Marco Jansen. Now on strike, Kohli put the second, third, and sixth balls away for to the fence, through backward point, mid wicket, and the straight boundary, in that order, picking up a brace in between.
Rohit put Keshav Maharaj away for two boundaries in the next over, but Maharaj hit back, taking out Rohit and Rishabh Pant. Kagiso Rabada then had Suryakumar Yadav out caught in the deep to reduce India to 34-3 in the fifth over.
A rescue act through the middle
As Axar Patel walked out, Kohli assumed a supporting role. He had reached 21 from the first 13 balls he faced, with four fours, but did not find the boundary in the next 35 balls. He took 48 balls to bring up his fifty, his first in the World Cup but his slowest in the format.
The man for the big occasion 👏
— ICC (@ICC) June 29, 2024
Virat Kohli raises the bat to celebrate an @MyIndusIndBank Milestone at the #T20WorldCup Final 🏏#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/kqPzwgouwb
India were 134-4 after 17 overs, but Kohli exploded at this point, lofting Rabada over long-on for six and turning a ball to the square-leg fence. At the other end, he flicked Jansen’s full toss for four and, two balls later, dispatched one for six. He fell next ball, caught at long on, for a 59-ball 76.
| Balls | Runs | Boundaries | Strike rate |
| 1-13 | 21 | 4x4, 0x6 | 162 |
| 14-48 | 29 | 0x4, 0x6 | 83 |
| 49-59 | 26 | 2x4, 2x6 | 236 |
India finished on 176-7. Barring Kohli, contributions came from Axar (47 in 31 balls) and Shivam Dube (27 in 16). For South Africa, Maharaj returned 2-23 and Anrich Nortje with 2-26.
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