World Cup glory a vindication for India cricket legends

Indians are continuing to celebrate their cricket team's triumph at the T20 World Cup, which is being seen as a fitting tribute to some of the game's top players.

India defeated South Africa by seven runs in Barbados on Saturday to bring home a World Cup after a 13-year-long wait.

Fans celebrated on the streets after the game and have been posting heartfelt tributes to the team on social media.

But they say the victory is bitter-sweet, with three of India's top cricketers - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja - announcing their retirement from the format after the game.

Many X users called Kohli's and Sharma's retirement "the end of an era" while others said they had achieved the status of legends in the sport.

Cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar joined in praising the two players.

"Your unwavering commitment and exceptional talent have brought immense pride to the nation," he wrote about Sharma on X. Of Kohli, he said, "You may have had a rough time earlier in the tournament, but last night you proved why you’re truly one of the greats of the gentleman's game".

Saturday's win was a moment of redemption for Sharma, after his team lost the 50-over World Cup final eight months ago to Australia.

After winning 10 matches in a row, the team suffered a shocking defeat in the final. Rohit led from the front throughout the tournament but couldn't take his team over the line in the final.

And that is why the T20 cup is so special for him. It matters even more because this was most likely his last shot at winning a World Cup as a captain.

He will be 40 by the time the next tournament is held, and most players retire before reaching that age.

The gravity of the moment and the significance of the victory were evident on Sharma's face, as he stepped away for a moment of quiet reflection before joining the team in their wild celebrations.

A day later, he shared an emotional post on X where he posted a photo of himself sprawled out on the ground with his teammates surrounding him.

"This picture epitomises how I’m feeling right now. So many words but can’t find the right ones to express what yesterday meant to me but I will, and I will share them, but right now I’m basking in a dream come true for a billion of us," he wrote.

Saturday's victory was also a moment of poetic justice for many of the team's players and support staff, including coach Rahul Dravid.

Like his team, he was also carrying the pain of losing the ODI World Cup final. But there is more to his story.

In 2007, it was in the Caribbean that India suffered an embarrassing World Cup campaign under his captaincy. The side crashed out in the group stages itself after losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

So, Saturday's win obviously was special for Dravid.

In a rare break from his otherwise poised demeanour, he was seen jumping up from his seat to celebrate after the team won and screamed with joy while lifting the trophy.

"As a player, I was not lucky enough to win a trophy but I gave my best. I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to coach a team... It is not like I was aiming for some redemption, it was the job I was doing. It has been a great journey," he told reporters after the game.

The victory was also a heart-warming one for Kohli, who was searching for form until the final, making some disgruntled fans question his skills in the T20 format.

But he performed when his team needed him the most and that's what great players like him do.

He anchored the innings with his 76 runs off 59 balls, while others played brisk knocks around him.

Saturday's victory was also a fitting tribute to India's bowlers who have, in the past, helped the team stay the course when the going got tough.

Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya put up an unforgettable bowling performance that crippled South Africa's batting line-up at the death.

Pandya had his moment of redemption too. In the IPL, he had replaced Sharma as the captain of Mumbai Indians - a move that irked fans who subjected the cricketer to some robust booing wherever he played.

His performance dipped and his usual flamboyance gave way to a brooding character on the field. He often cut a lonely figure - disconnected from his team and surroundings during games.

But he got his moment in the sun when he bowled the last over and took his team to World Cup glory.

After the match, he broke down and said, "I didn’t cry when I had to. But now I feel I got my last six months back in a moment."

Sports folklore is full of heartbreaks, victories and redemption and Pandya has added his story to the bank.