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South Africa came into the 2024 T20 World Cup final unbeaten. However, their wonderful run didn't get a happy ending, as the Proteas suffered a heartbreaking seven-run loss to India in the summit clash.
The South African players were left disheartened after failing to cross the line despite being in touching distance of becoming the world champions for the very first time. The cricketers and members of support staff were visibly dejected and tears rolled down the eyes of senior players David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, and Quinton de Kock.
Amid the somber atmosphere in the South African camp, a few Indian supporters tried to lift their spirits by cheering the Aiden Markram-led side as they entered the team bus.
You can watch the video of the incident below:
South Africa needed to chase down 177 runs in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. They seemed to be in the driver's seat after 15 overs, requiring a run-a-ball 30 with six wickets in hand.
However, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh helped India stage a stunning turnaround with their brilliant death bowling. South Africa ultimately finished at 169/8 after 20 overs.
"It hurts quite a bit" - Skipper Aiden Markam on South Africa's 2024 T20 World Cup loss
Speaking at the post-match presentation of the 2024 T20 World Cup final, South African captain Aiden Markram stated he was gutted with the result.
He, however, mentioned that the team had a good campaign and was proud of his players. Markram said (via Cricbuzz):
"Gutted for the time being. It'll take some time for us to have a really good reflection on a really good campaign the group had. Obviously for the time being, like I mentioned, it hurts quite a bit. Having said that, I'm incredibly proud of this group of players and everyone involved with the team."
He highlighted that the team's bowlers did an impressive job, restricting India to a total that seemed chasable to them. Calling his team a worthy finalists for giving India a tough fight, Markram added:
"I feel they bowled well. Don't think there was a whole lot to work with with regards to the pitch. Thought they did well to restrict them to what we thought was a chaseable total. Thought we batted really well as well, and it came down to the wire. Really good game of cricket. We've seen with a lot of our games in this campaign - it's never over till the last ball is bowled. We never got comfortable, there's always an element of scoreboard pressure. And especially at the back end, things happen quite quickly and can turn quite quickly as well. Having said that, we got into a great position which proves we're worthy finalists. Could've won the game today. Unfortunately, we didn't."
Virat Kohli was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his crucial 76-run knock, while Jasprit Bumrah bagged the 'Player of the Tournament' award for his brilliant performances throughout the competition.
