Can anyone ask for a more thrilling world cup final than the India-South Africa tie? In a sea-saw tussle at Bridgetown, Barbados when the pendulum swung quite a few times, the Men in Blue held their nerves to pull off an incredible 7-run win over the Proteas to win the T20 world cup for the second time after a gap of 17 years. It was a match that will be etched in memory for a lifetime. It was a match that will be remembered long for Suryakumar Yadav’s sensational ‘juggling over the rope’ catch that effectively sealed the win for India. The title-win is a much-needed one not only for Indian cricket, but also for millions of its fans across the world, who were down in the dumps on India’s loss to Australia in the finals of the 50-over world cup tournament at Ahmedabad just seven months ago. The month of June has always been special for India cricket, as Kapil’s Devils stunned the mighty West Indies to win their first world cup in this month 41 years ago. And Rohit’s men scripted an outstanding T20 world cup win in the same month now. It was heartbreak yet again for the Proteas who looked to finally end their world cup jinx.
This letter will not be complete without talking about India’s bowling jewel Jasprit Bumrah, who deservedly won the Player of the Tournament award for his outstanding bowling throughout the tournament, ending with 15 wickets at an astonishing economy of 4.17 – truly a monumental achievement in an ICC T20 tournament. Bumrah’s rise in international cricket has been staggering. Even if you keep aside the number of wickets he has taken so far across formats and talk about the diversity of his skill sets alone, hardly any fast bowler in present day international cricket comes close to him. No matter the format or the game situation, Bumrah will be at you with his skill, mind, and everything that helps him get a wicket. The whippy action and his bent back help him to hit the deck consistently, and his seam position extracts every ounce of lateral movement off the pitch. With the old ball, the extra moment that Bumrah gets becomes deadly, especially when reversing. Bumrah is a bona fide great and the most complete modern day fast bowler.
Ranganathan Sivakumar
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