Bumrah’s Dominance to Pandya’s Brilliance – Top 5 Bowling Moments of India’s T20 World Cup Campaign

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Team India defeated South Africa by seven runs in the thrilling T20 World Cup 2024 final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday (June 29) and with the win ended their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.

After Virat Kohli's 76 complemented by handy knocks from Axar Patel and Shivam Dube took India to a challenging total of 176/7, some brilliant death bowling by the pace trio led by Jasprit Bumrah, halted South Africa's chase at 169/8.

Headed for a defeat at the end of the 15th over with South Africa needing 30 off 30 balls, Bumrah was introduced into the attack by skipper Rohit Sharma and the game changed course from there.

Defending 30 off 30 balls, Bumrah started the spirited fightback with some tight overs, while Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh also followed up by claiming crucial wickets to pull off a victory from the jaws of defeat.

The show-piece tournament in the USA and Caribbean was one for the bowlers with some challenging surfaces on offer, which the Indian pace battery as well as spinners utilized to the fullest.

Arshdeep, who finished the tournament as India's leading wicket-taker, made a huge impact in the campaign opener, while Bumrah remained consistent throughout the T20 World Cup, and the likes of Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel also shone with some terrific performances.

While Bumrah kept the run-scoring in check in most games with economical spells, the pressure of facing the pacer, helped his bowling partners to take advantage as they claimed regular wickets.

Pace dominated in the US leg, while spin came to the party in the Caribbean. Here is a look at the top 5 moments with the ball for India during the tournament:

Top 5 Bowling Moments of India in T20 World Cup 2024 Campaign

1. Jasprit Bumrah (3 for 14 in 4 overs) vs Pakistan in Group Stage: On a testing surface in New York, the ace pacer helped India defend their lowest total in T20 World Cup history against their rivals Pakistan.

The pace spearhead, who is a major threat at any stage of the game, gave India an early breakthrough, removing Babar Azam in his 2nd over before returning again to do the damage in the closing stages.

In the fag end of the game when Pakistan needed 40 to win from 36 balls with 7 wickets in hand, Bumrah dismissed a set Mohammad Rizwan in the 15th over followed by a crucial dismissal of Ifthikar Ahmed in the 19th over to play a key role in India's win.

2. Hardik Pandya (3 for 20 in 3 overs) vs South Africa in Final: While Bumrah was key to the turnaround in the final, it was the all-rounder who claimed crucial wickets to put an end to South Africa's chase, removing the dangerous Heinricha Klaasen in the 16th over.

With 16 needed off 6 balls, Pandya bowled the final over in which the pacer struck twice, removing the biggest threat David Miller via a brilliant assist from Suryakumar Yadav at long off before sending Kagiso Rabada back into the dugout and sealed the win for India by 7 runs.

3. Axar Patel (3 for 23 in 4 overs) vs England in Semi-Final: The left-arm spinner, who stepped up whenever needed with the bat, also had some good performances with the ball, especially in a key game like the semi-final against England.

Defending 171, Axar gave India the initial breakthrough, removing England skipper Jos Buttler inside powerplay, when he also dismissed Jonny Bairstow before removing Moeen Ali in the 9th over, while one of his spin partner Kuldeep Yadav also chipped in with 3 wickets to bundle out the opposition for 103.

4. Kuldeep Yadav (2 for 24 in 4 overs) vs Australia in Super 8 Stage: The wrist spinner had several good performances in the tournament, but the spell against Australia on a batting friendly wicket was the one that stood out the most.

Kuldeep claimed crucial wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell to slow down Australia's chase before the rest of the attack, especially Arshdeep, who was very expensive in his first spell, claimed wickets and put the choke on Australia's chase as India won by 24 runs.

5. Arshdeep Singh (4 for 9 in 4 overs) vs USA in Group Stage: The left-arm pacer was unplayable for the Americans as he struck twice in the first over, removing Shayan Jahangir of the very first ball before dismissing Andries Gous of the final delivery of the opening over.

When USA frustrated India with a fighting stand on the testing surface in New York, Arshdeep was brought back into the attack, and the left-arm pacer struck immediately by removing Nitish Kumar and Harmeet Singh a couple of overs later as India went on to win the match by 7 wickets, chasing 111.