India edged South Africa to win their second T20 World Cup title and first since 2007 as an astounding catch from Suryakumar Yadav and excellent death bowling clinched a seven-run win in Barbados.

South Africa – playing in their first World Cup final in either T20 or 50-over cricket after winning a semi-final at the eighth attempt against Afghanistan earlier this week – looked poised to reach their target of 177 when Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27) took Axar Patel’s 15th over for 24, trimming the ask to 30 from 30 balls.

However, Bumrah conceded only six runs combined from the 16th and 18th overs, while Klaasen snicked Hardik Pandya behind in between and after the Proteas could muster only four runs off Arshdeep Singh’s 19th, the new requirement became 16 off six.

David Miller (21 off 17) then thought he had crunched Hardik’s first-ball full toss for six, only for Suryakumar to pull off a spellbinding grab at long off as he caught the ball, threw it back into play before he tumbled over the rope, and then pouched it again when he returned to the field.

South Africa managed only eight further runs as they ended on 169-8 and India became the first team in the history of the Men’s T20 World Cup to go through a tournament unbeaten, dashing the Proteas’ hopes of claiming that achievement for themselves.

India had last won a global ICC event at the 2013 Champions Trophy, with their previous World Cup success the 2011 50-over edition at home.

This T20 triumph for India comes seven months after they lost the 50-over World Cup final to Australia in Ahmedabad – their only defeat in that tournament. History would not repeat itself.

Kohli back in the runs in thrilling World Cup final

Earlier, Virat Kohli (76 off 59 balls) ended a slump in form which had seen him average less than 11 in the tournament with 75 runs in seven innings and a best of 37 by underpinning India’s total of 176-7 after his side had sunk to 34-3 inside five overs after electing to bat.

Rohit Sharma’s men were on the back foot as the skipper (9) and Rishabh Pant (0) both fell sweeping Keshav Maharaj in the second over, with their plight worsening when Suryakumar (3) holed out off Kagiso Rabada three overs later.

But Kohli, who had struck three boundaries in Marco Jansen’s 15-run first over, found a fine ally in Axar (47 off 31), with the latter dominating a fourth-wicket stand of 72 from 54 balls before he was brilliantly run out by Quinton de Kock.

Kohli also stitched a half-century alliance with Shivam Dube (27 off 16) as he notched a 38th T20 international fifty from 38 balls prior to being caught at deep midwicket off Jansen in the penultimate over.

India looted the highest score in a Men’s T20 World Cup final, eclipsing the 173-2 Australia posted against New Zealand in the 2021 final in the UAE, but Maharaj (2-23) and Anrich Nortje (2-26) limited their opponents to a gettable score.

It looked out of South Africa’s reach as the Proteas plummeted to 12-2 with Reeza Hendricks (4) bowled by a gorgeous out-swinger from Bumrah and captain Aiden Markram (4) edging Arshdeep behind on the drive.

De Kock (39 off 31) and Tristan Stubbs (31 off 21) rallied the first-time finalists with a quick-fire alliance of 58, with the sixes they smoked including one from De Kock off Kuldeep Yadav that went out of the ground.

Stubbs was bowled around his legs by Axar but De Kock and Klaasen then added 36 off 23 deliveries and when De Kock was pouched at deep fine leg – straight after hitting a four in that area – Klaasen and Miller pounded boundaries, with Klaasen hammering three in a row off Axar to make South Africa favourites.

However, Bumrah’s frugal two-over spell, which also included castling Jansen, dragged India back into proceedings and his efforts came in a successful cause as Suryakumar’s scarcely believable catch went a long way to breaking South Africa’s hearts.