India and South Africa are all set for the Final battle of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. India reigned over 2022 champion England and entered the Final with style. On the other side, South Africa shed their ‘chokers’ tag in the first semi final against Afghanistan.
Undefeated India and South Africa are ready to square off in the Final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to be held on 29 June at Kensington Oval airing on prime time at 8:00 PM IST.
So far T20 World Cup 2024 has been a roller coaster journey in which South Africa and India rode till the very end. Both teams have come out of their fears to reach the final destination and will face each other in Barbados to claim the final trophy.
But what happened the last time India met South Africa in the T20 World Cup knockout?
It was a decade ago when India and South Africa battled in a 2014 T20 World Cup knockout round. Back then it was Virat Kohli whose unbeaten knock of 72 off 44 balls led India into the 2014 T20 World Cup Final crushing Proteas bowlers and winning by 6 wickets.
Here are some epic flashbacks from the India vs South Africa Semi-final of the T20 World Cup
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and decided to bat first. With a notable knock from JP Dummy (45) and Faf du Plessis’ 58 off 41 from the captain himself, Proteas gave a 172-run target.
After Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane’s superb partnership of 39 runs off 23 balls, Virat Kohli came to the rescue. King Kohli bagged 77 runs in 44 balls, including five 4s and two 6s with a 163.64 strike rate.
When Team Blue lost their 4th wicket to Suresh Raina, captain MS Dhoni came to the strike and let Virat Kohli finish the game. India outmuscled Protease and scored 176 for 4 in 19.5 overs.
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni Epic Moment in IND vs SA Semi-final 2014
At one point India and South Africa’s scores were equal and Virat Kohli went to MS Dhoni to ask for finishing the game. However, Dhoni refused Kohli’s proposal and said he played well so he should do it instead.
In an Interview, Virat Kohli also revealed about the incident and said, ”Yes, he gave me a chance to finish the game off. I had told him, ‘Aap khatam kardo (you do it)’, but he told me, ‘Tune acchi batting kari hain, to ye mera gift hain tere liye (you have batted well, take this gift from me).”
For the record, Virat Kohli hasn’t shown his best form in the 9th edition of the T20 World Cup yet. Still, hopes are lighting in the hearts of Virat’s fans. Many believe, Virat Kohli will masterclass again to rewrite the heroic poem in the Final of the T20 World Cup 2024.