Bridgetown (Barbados): India head coach Rahul Dravid, who is always regarded as a calm and composed man, let his true emotions out as he enthusiastically lifted the T20 World Cup trophy to celebrate the Men-in-Blue’s stunning victory, here on Saturday.
The Rohit Sharma-led side pipped South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday to win their second T20 World Cup title after 2007. India became the first team to win the title while staying unbeaten throughout the tournament. Dravid went all out with his emotions and was seen cheering at the top of his voice on the podium while lifting the trophy following the medal ceremony.
It is to be noted that it was Dravid’s last day at the office as his contract ends with the culmination of the T20 World Cup. Under Dravid’s mentorship, India played three consecutive ICC finals including the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year. India failed to outdo Australia on both occasions and had to wait for the coveted silverware until Barbados.
After opting to bat first, Virat Kohli’s 76 off 59 infused with Axar Patel’s 47 steered India to 176/7 in 20 overs. In response, Heinrich Klaasen’s 52 kept South Africa very much in the chase but Indian bowlers scripted a late comeback as Hardik Pandya removed the set batter in the 17th over and South Africa could not overcome that and fell short of the target. For India, Pandya grabbed three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh picked two scalps apiece.
IANS
