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India's T20 crown turns one: Rohit, Pandya revisit historic 2024 T20 World Cup win
June 29, 2024: the date that tops the list of favourite days in every Indian cricket fan’s calendar. A year back, on this exact date, the Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, ended India's gruelling decade-long wait for an ICC trophy. Undisputed rulers in bilaterals, especially in white-ball cricket, India kept falling short of the ICC glory, tournament after tournament. The most hard-hitting turned out to be the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, where India entered the final unbeaten, only to lose the home tournament to Australia in Ahmedabad. Nonetheless, the 2024 T20 World Cup emerged as a balm on the Indian wounds as the team lifted the trophy in Barbados with a win over South Africa.
Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, celebrate one year of India's historic 2024 T20 World Cup victory
#OnThisDay in 2024, India ended an 11-year ICC title drought, clinching the T20 World Cup and creating history on the biggest stage. 🇮🇳🏆
— OneTurf News (@oneturf_news) June 29, 2025
📸: ICC/X#oneturfnews #t20worldcup #worldcup #rohitsharma #teamindia #cricket pic.twitter.com/wrqGIjhLcM
The 2024 T20 World Cup win concluded India's wait of over a decade for an ICC trophy. After the Men in Blue won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, two years after the historic 2011 ICC ODI World Cup, a disheartening drought ensued. A semi-final heartbreak in the 2015 ODI World Cup against Australia, an even harder loss against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the ultimate blow of losing the 2023 ODI World Cup title to Australia in the final left deep wounds on the team and the fans. The period also marked the team losing the 2017 Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup tournaments in the midst.
However, the agony came to an end when Rohit Sharma and Co. scripted a glorious run all the way up to the ultimate win in the West Indies. It was a collective show by the Men in Blue in the USA and the West Indies across the 2024 T20 World Cup. Pant's fighting 42 against arch-rivals Pakistan and Bumrah's heroics in the low-scoring thriller, added with the all-round demolition of England in the semi-final, completed the revenge of the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2022 season. The final, however, was the ultimate thriller.
South Africa, also on the lookout to end their ICC drought, almost took the match away. However, Virat Kohli and his quintessential anchoring in the first innings put India in the contest. The final innings, meanwhile, saw the brilliance and the unmatched nerves of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Axar Patel was sent to the bleachers in his spell by Heinrich Klaasen. However, the tide turned as India took the match away after being at a spot of defending 26 off 24 at one point.
Pandya got Klaasen before Bumrah dismissed Marco Jansen to find inroads in the contest. The young Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant penultimate over, giving away just 4 runs to ensure that the contest stood alive in the last over. Hardik Pandya was handed the ball with the target to defend 16 off the last 6 against David Miller and Keshav Maharaj. The first ball of the over witnessed the Indian fans sitting with their hearts in their mouths.
Miller charged at the very first delivery of Pandya, showing it the path to a six. However, the hero of the night, Suryakumar Yadav, showed up at long-off at just the right moment. Beating his nerves to complete a brilliant catch, SKY hopped over the boundary line and back out, scripting a clean grab to send Miller back. The voice of Jatin Sapru screaming from the commentary box, "Long off, long off, long off, Suryakumar Yadav!" is etched in the hearts of the Indian fans as the victory slogan from the T20 World Cup.
Pandya defended the rest as India finally won their second T20 World Cup, after lifting the maiden title in 2007. Rohit Sharma and his group of absolute match-winners engraved their names in the record books. Now, as the historic victory has completed one year, Rohit Sharma, who, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired that day, posted on his social media to celebrate the day. Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh also joined the wagon with their respective posts on June 29, 2025.
