Virat Kohli's mastery meets Dale Steyn, haunts South Africa in India’s iconic T20 World Cup win

Rewinding to 2014, when Virat Kohli’s ice-cold dominance over Dale Steyn powered India past South Africa in a T20 World Cup classic.

Following their historic and unexpected triumph at the inaugural edition in 2007, India had failed to advance to the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup for three tournaments on the bounce. Despite dipping their feet in the swirling waters of the Indian Premier League which, one believed, would prepare the players more than adequately for country vs country contests, India repeatedly flattered to deceive, failing to carry early group-stages dominance into the next phase from where qualification to the semifinals would be decided.

Virat Kohli was the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 72 runs, leading India to victory.

In Bangladesh in 2014 too, India pulled off statement victories, but the revised format meant their unbeaten run in the five-team Group 2 had secured a berth in the last four, where they would lock horns with South Africa in a winner-take-all battle.

Helmed by Faf du Plessis, the Proteas had a breathtaking array of riches headlined by the irrepressible AB de Villiers and the extraordinarily gifted Dale Steyn. For India to entertain hopes of making a second World Cup final, they had to neutralise the two biggest weapons in the opposition arsenal. It was a task Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side achieved with aplomb; de Villiers was dismissed for ten, off eight deliveries, while Steyn finished with unenviable figures of none for 36 from 3.1 overs as India coasted to a six-wicket victory.

Du Plessis set the tone for the southern Africans after opting to bat and being forced to walk out in the first over following the dismissal of Quinton de Kock, caught behind off Praveen Kumar. The captain forged a mini partnership with Hashim Amla when R Ashwin uncorked a ball for the ages. The carrom ball pitched well outside Amla’s leg-stump and turned a mile – an absolute mile – as it snaked past the outside half of his bat and hit off. It was magical, mesmerising, the stuff of legend.

Undeterred by that slice of genius, du Plessis and JP Duminy put on 71, but India didn’t allow the game to get away from them as spin twins Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja together took three for 30 in six overs. However, David Miller launched a stirring late onslaught that ensured that 36 came off the last three overs; the left-handed Miller (23 n.o., 12b) was singularly responsible for a competitive tally of 172 for four, worth a few more because of this being a do-or-die clash.

Rohit Sharma sent India on their way with a blazing 13-ball 24, but there were no prizes for guessing which scalp South Africa coveted the most. Once again, Virat Kohli strode in with narrow focus, and settled nerves as well as the deal. The tension was beginning to mount when Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit’s opening partner, took 30 deliveries for 32 but till such time that Kohli was around to mastermind the reply, it was India with their noses in front. Yuvraj Singh helped his mentee put on 56 for the third wicket but when fell off the last ball of the 16th over, India had their work emphatically cut out.

With 40 needed from four overs, the muscular figure of Suresh Raina emerged from the dugout. Aware that he couldn’t leave it all entirely to Kohli, the left-hander smashed 21 off just ten deliveries, including 16 in the 17th over bowled by Wayne Parnell, to bring the equation down to acceptable proportions – 23 off 18.

Dale Steyn charged in. Virat Kohli stood his ground

Kohli then established his dominance over Steyn, with an outrageous whipped flick over wide long-on and a clatter over point for fours that pushed the Proteas to the brink of elimination. When Beuran Hendricks got rid of Raina, India required six from nine deliveries. All too simple, particularly with Dhoni joining the pumped up Kohli who was flying high like a kite.

Kohli smashed Hendricks for a four and took a single to level the scores, with one ball remaining in the 19th over. Dhoni had for long struck winning blows with trademark chutzpah, but in recognition of the immense role Kohli had played in taking India to the doorstep of victory, he played a studiedly deliberate defensive shot to a short ball that he would normally have dismissed from his presence. Kohli, who had been urging his captain to finish things off, threw his hands up in mock frustration, then broke into a broad smile as he accepted the elder statesmen’s magnanimous gesture with grateful grace.

A flicked four off the first ball of the last over, from Steyn, formalised the end of the contest. Kohli (72 n,o., 44b) roared in delight, the dugout rose as one to applaud the hero and South Africa made a beeline to shake his hand, as aware as anyone else that they had been schooled by a master of his trade who had no intention of taking things for granted.

Brief scores: South Africa: 172/4 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 58, JP Duminy 45; R Ashwin 3-22) lost to India: 176/4 in 19.1 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 32, Virat Kohli 72 n.o.; Beuran Hendricks 2-31) by six wickets. Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (India).