Star batter Virat Kohli regained his form at the right time to strike a fifty as India made a healthy 176 for seven against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final here.
Kohli’s 76 (59b, 6x4, 2x6), which was his first in this tournament, and Axar Patel’s 47 (31b, 1x4, 4x6) helped India overcome the early fall of skipper Rohit Sharma (9), Rishabh Pant (0) and Suryakumar Yadav (3).
Following his dismissal in the 18th over, the India great received a standing ovation at the stadium
India were at a wobbly 34 for three then.
But Kohli and Axar milked 72 runs for the fourth wicket. Shivam Dube gave some late steam with a 16-ball 27.
For SA, left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took two wickets.
Brief scores: India 176/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 76, Axar Patel 47; Keshav Maharaj 2/23) vs South Africa.