Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has reflected on the pivotal passage of play that swung the 2024 T20 World Cup final in India's favour against South Africa.
Ravi Shastri has opened up about the passage of play he believes proved decisive in India's victory over South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final on June 29, 2024. India won that match by 7 runs, claiming their second T20 World Cup title and ending an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.
South Africa, appearing in their maiden T20 World Cup final, had looked well-placed during the chase. With Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the crease, the Proteas needed 30 runs from 30 balls with five wickets still in hand. Shastri, who was part of the commentary panel for the final alongside Ian Smith and Shaun Pollock, recalled on air that a break in play at that precise moment felt significant.
"Thirty balls, 30 runs, and then a break in play. I think both Ian Smith and I were on air, and I said this might just work in India's favour with Rishabh Pant taking that break. Klaasen was going hammer and tongs at the attack and David Miller was with him. Then came a wicket off the first ball after the break. Things started to change and the game turned around," Shastri said on Sky Sports, in an interaction with Ian Smith.
What did Shastri say about South Africa's near-miss in the final?
After the match concluded, Shastri walked to the back of the commentary box and encountered Shaun Pollock, who had represented South Africa across formats during his playing career. The moment left a strong impression on Shastri, given how close the Proteas had come to winning their first T20 World Cup title.
"You called the final and were wrapping things up. I walked to the back of the commentary box and saw Polly (Shaun Pollock) sitting in the corner. I looked towards him and he said, 'The biggest one.' South Africa had long carried the tag of chokers, and he felt this was the biggest example of that. I really felt for Polly because they came so close. They've come close so many times," Shastri told Smith.
Shastri also acknowledged how difficult the defeat would have been to process, given the position South Africa were in during the chase.
"Had South Africa comfortably beaten India, it would have been easier to accept. But needing 30 runs from 30 balls with five wickets in hand and then losing from there, that would leave you absolutely gutted," he added.
How did Shastri view South Africa's subsequent World Test Championship success?
Despite his obvious satisfaction at India's triumph, Shastri expressed genuine empathy for the South African side and acknowledged their later achievement at the highest level of Test cricket. South Africa went on to win the World Test Championship after their T20 World Cup final defeat, a result Shastri viewed as some form of redemption for the Proteas.
"In many ways, I'm glad South Africa went on to win the World Test Championship and finally got that monkey off their back. But if you were on the other side of that result, it would have been a very tough pill to swallow," Shastri said.
India's victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup final was their second title in the format, with the win also marking the end of a lengthy drought without an ICC trophy. New Zealand were among the teams South Africa had faced on their path through the tournament, while the final itself featured a commentary panel that included Shastri, Ian Smith and Shaun Pollock, making Pollock's reaction in the box all the more poignant given his deep connection to South African cricket.