Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has revisited the nail-biting final moments of India's 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, revealing how a brief interruption in play — involving wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant — may have been the decisive pivot that swung the match back in India's favour when the Proteas looked set for a famous triumph.

The Moment That Changed Everything

Speaking to former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith in an interview with Sky Sports, Shastri painted a vivid picture of the tension that gripped the final in its closing overs. South Africa required just 30 runs off 30 deliveries with five wickets still standing, and both Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller were striking the ball cleanly.

'30 balls, 30 runs, and then a break in play. And I think we were both (Ian Smith and Ravi Shastri) on air and I said this might just go well for India with Rishabh Pant taking the break, you know. Klassen was going hammer and tongs at the attack. David Miller was with him. And then a wicket, first ball after the break. Things started to change. Game got over,' Shastri said.

Shaun Pollock's Reaction in the Commentary Box

Shastri also shared a poignant exchange with former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock once the final was wrapped up. As the gravity of another ICC knockout loss set in for the Proteas, Pollock reportedly acknowledged the scale of the collapse in unmistakable terms.

'You know, you called the final. And then you were wrapping it up. And I just went at the back of the box while you were finishing it. And there was Polly (Shaun Pollock) in the corner. And so I just looked towards him and he said, the biggest (choke of all time), you know, because they'd got a tag of chokers. And he said, that was the biggest. So I felt for Polly because they came so close. They've come so close so many times,' Shastri added.

India End an 11-Year ICC Title Drought

South Africa ultimately fell short by seven runs, handing India their second T20 World Cup title and ending an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy. For Shastri, the win carried dual weight — joy for India and genuine empathy for the Proteas, who have now suffered multiple gut-wrenching near-misses at the sport's biggest stages.

'So I'm glad, in many ways, they won the World Test Championship, and finally got the monkey off the back. But, if you were on the other side, it would have been a very tough pill to swallow. You know, if South Africa had cruised and beaten India, I wouldn't have had, you know, that much of an issue. But 30 balls, 30 runs. And then to lose it from there with five wickets in hand, oh, you would be gutted,' Shastri said.

South Africa's Choke Tag and a Broader Pattern

The defeat added a fresh and painful chapter to South Africa's long history of ICC knockout exits. The Proteas have repeatedly come agonisingly close to winning a major tournament, only to falter at the final hurdle — a pattern that even their own legends, like Pollock, now openly acknowledge. Notably, South Africa's collapse in the 2024 final ranks among their most dramatic given the near-certainty of victory at the 30-ball mark.

Shastri's reflections serve as a reminder that momentum in T20 cricket can shift not just ball to ball, but during the smallest interruptions — and that India's title triumph was as much about composure under pressure as it was about the scorecard.