The Indian fans were spotted cheering South Africa players after their T20 World Cup 2024 Final against India at the Kensington Oval in Barbados' Bridgetown on Saturday, June 29. The Proteas men entered the Final with eight-match winning streak but their unbeaten run came to an end with a defeat against 2nd-time T20 World Cup champions India.
South Africa were very much in the game till the 15th over, requiring 30 off 30 balls to win the match, but Heinrich Klaseen's dismissal and the bowling brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya in the last three overs took the game way from the Proteas.
When South Africa required 16 runs off 6 balls, Hardik Pandya was brought into the attack and bowled a crucial final over, conceding just 8 runs and picking two wickets of David Miller and Kagiso Rabada to secure a victory for India in the T20 World Cup Final.
In a video shared by Times Of Karachi, the Indian fans outside the Kensington Oval stadium were seen cheering visibly heartbroken South African players and chanted, "'We love you, South Africa."
Apart from losing in the T20 World Cup 2024 Final, South Africa had a brilliant campaign in the showpiece event. In the first round, South Africa won all four matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Nepal in Group C and qualified for the Super 8.
In the Super 8 stage, the Proteas continued their unbeaten run with wins against the West Indies, USA and the England to book their spot for the semifinal. In the semifinal, South Africa scripted history by qualifying for the final with a convincing 9-wicket win over Afghanistan.
After 4 decades of semifinal heartbreaks, the Proteas finally reached the Final of the World Cup. Making their World Cup debut in 1992, South Africa suffered heartbreaks in the major tournaments. Proteas reached semifinals of the 1992, 1999, 2007, 2015 and 2023 but failed to qualify for the Final.
However, Proteas hoped to clinch their maiden World Cup tites but the hopes were dashed after losing to India in the Title clash.
