India Vs South Africa: Captain Aiden Markram 'gutted' After Proteas Fall Agonisingly Short Of T20

South Africa were in a strong position as they were in the lead after Heinrich Klaasen scored 52 runs and hit 22 runs in the 15th over. This reduced their target from 54 runs to 30. Klaasen achieved this by hitting Axar Patel for two consecutive sixes over the long-on boundary and also hitting two boundaries in the same over.

Nonetheless, Hardik Pandya (3-20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-18) delivered excellent performances in the final overs, neutralizing the danger posed by Klaasen and Marco Jansen (2). Suryakumar Yadav also made a spectacular catch, which commentator Ian Smith hailed as "the best catch in cricket." This helped India secure a remarkable victory.

After Klaasen was out in the 17th over, the camera showed his captain Markram in tears on the sidelines. He understood that with that wicket, South Africa's chances of winning were greatly diminished.

"Feeling really disappointed right now, we need some time to look back on the successful campaign we've had," Markram expressed during the interview after the game.

Right now, as I previously stated, it is painful, but despite that, I am still extremely proud of this team of players and all the individuals who are part of this team.

We performed well in bowling. In my opinion, the pitch didn't offer much assistance, so I believe the team did a great job in limiting India to a score that we were confident we could chase.

I think we performed well in batting and the game was really close. It was a great cricket match in every aspect. I am very happy with the team and proud of their performance.

"It seemed like anything could happen, as we've learned from many of our past games that the outcome is uncertain until the very end. We never felt at ease, as the pressure of the scoreboard was always looming over us."

South Africa made it to the final without losing a single game in their tournament, defeating smaller teams like Nepal and USA along with bigger teams like Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Bangladesh, England, West Indies, and Afghanistan.

In the past, South Africa had been unsuccessful in seven World Cup semi-finals in both 20-over and 50-over cricket. However, they managed to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle and reach the final.

"We have put ourselves in a strong position, showing that we deserve to be finalists," Markram remarked.

"It's heartbreaking... the outcome of this game just amplifies the feelings."

I believe one thing that can be assured about South Africans, no matter where they reside, is that they are extremely competitive, considerate, and determined. This is something that we take pride in.

We hope to learn from these experiences in the future, but we are still proud of this moment.

South Africa definitely put up a strong resistance and did not give up easily.

Their bowlers made India look nervous, taking early wickets and leaving them at 34-3 in the powerplay. This happened after skipper Rohit Sharma decided to bat first.

Virat Kohli played a crucial innings of 76 runs in his last T20 World Cup match, which helped India reach a score of 176-7, which was higher than the average. Despite this, South Africa came close to victory, thanks to Quinton de Kock scoring 39 runs, David Miller adding 21 runs, and contributions from Klaasen.

Sky Sports Cricket analyst Morgan stated that South Africa faced a dramatic collapse.

"It wasn't pleasant. The level of skill in their team, including players like Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs, made it seem like South Africa had the upper hand today."

"They came very close to winning the game and almost made it to the finish line. It's important to stay committed to the plan for as long as you can, as it will eventually lead you to success. This outcome is really tough for them to accept."

As India's T20 stars Kohli and Rohit exiting after this tournament, along with head coach Rahul Dravid, it seemed perfect for them to end their time as champions.

Rohit Sharma, who was 20 years old at the time, was a member of the Indian team that won the first tournament in 2007.

After seventeen years, he was able to win the trophy again.

Now, as the leader of the team, he is joined by his kids to mark the end of his career in international T20 cricket.

South Africa is still on the lookout for trophies. They are hopeful that the search won't last much longer. Ian Bishop believes that Aiden's time to shine will come soon.

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