Following four weeks of hustle and bustle and 55 intensified clashes, the dust has finally settled with India clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Rohit Sharma-led team beat South Africa by seven runs in a humdinger staged at the Kensington Oval, Barbados.
This was the first time 20 teams participated in the T20 World Cup since its inception in 2007. With plenty of amusing performances in the United States of America and West Indies leg, team World Sports Guru brings you the Team of T20 World Cup 2024.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Leading the side from the front, Rohit Sharma appointed an aggressive approach inside the powerplay this World Cup. He was tremendous with the bat, amassing 257 runs at an impressive average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.7. The ‘Hitman’ smashed three fifties in the tourney – against Ireland, Australia and England. 
Under challenging conditions, Rohit produced valiant knocks regularly, thus finishing as the highest run-getter for India in the competition. His 41-ball 92 against Australia will be remembered as one of the finest T20I innings of all time. He also stepped up with a 39-ball 57 against England in a high-voltage semi-final.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been one of the reasons behind the rise of Afghanistan cricket and their surge into the semi-finals for the first time in an ICC event. The wicketkeeper-batter has been brilliant behind the stumps and ended up as the leading run-getter in the tournament.
Gurbaz belted 281 runs at an average of 35.12. His strike rate read 124.33, with three fifties in the competition. He scored 76 and 80 against Uganda and New Zealand during the group stages before stitching 60 and 43 against Australia and Bangladesh in Super Eights.
Middle Order: Andries Gous and Suryakumar Yadav
USA cricketer Andries Gous would be fitting at no. 3 in the Team of the tournament. Having scored 219 runs from seven innings, the southpaw played a pivotal role in helping the co-hosts make the Super Eight stage. The South Africa-born cricketer averaged 43.80 with the bat at an impressive strike rate of 151.03.
The wicketkeeper-batter smashed an unbridled 80 against South Africa in North Sound, a knock that will be remembered in USA cricket’s history for long. He also smashed 65 against Canada in the curtain raiser while getting starts against West Indies and Pakistan but failed to convert the knocks.
Suryakumar Yadav has played some crucial knocks for the Indian contingent in tricky conditions. He scored a couple of fifties, scoring 169 at a strike rate of 164.07. However, Surya’s fifty against the USA was uncharacteristic in nature and helped the Team survive early setbacks. The 360-degree cricketer also stitched a critical 47 against England in the semi-final that helped India recover from a rocky start.
All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Rashid Khan
Marcus Stoinis should be making No 5 in the team as he has stellar all-round abilities. Following a rosy 2024 Indian Premier League outing with the Lucknow Super Giants, the Australian transcended his excellent form in national colors. He scored 169 runs at a strike rate of 164.07 while picking ten wickets at an economy of 8.88. Stoinis was outstanding with his three-dimensional skills against Oman and Scotland at the start of the tournament.
Hardik Pandya has been riding a wave of redemption in the World Cup after receiving merciless treatment from the fans in IPL 2024. He stepped up with the bat and ball whenever the Men in Blue needed him to deliver.
Hardik’s numbers with the bat reads 144, with a strike rate of 151.57 and an average of 48. The Baroda-bred star also scalped eleven wickets, including a three-fer against South Africa in the final. He outsmarted a dangerous-looking Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, two batters who could turn the tide on their will. He also smashed a fifty against Bangladesh in the Super Eights while producing quickfire against Australia and England.
Yet another all-rounder who would make the Team of the Tournament would be Axar Patel. He acted as a floater in high-voltage matches against Pakistan and South Africa (final), stabilizing the ship from scrutiny. Axar has been phenomenal in his role and adapted to conditions accordingly. While his batting strike rate reads 139.39, the Gujarat-based individual’s bowling economy reflects 7.86. He also picked nine wickets, including an important three-fer against England in the semi-final.
Rashid Khan at No. 8 adds plenty of depth to a side. He can whack the ball lower down the order and did on occasion. However, the Afghanistan captain excelled in his primary role, bucketing 14 wickets at a bowling average of 12.78. He registered a four-for against New Zealand, bundling the Kiwis for a paltry 75.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Adam Zampa
If bowling in T20I was an art, Jasprit Bumrah would be the Picasso of it. Having bagged 15 wickets at a stupendous bowling average of 8.26, Bumrah was one of the X-factors in the Indian line-up. He rightfully earned the Player of the Tournament award. Bumrah’s economy of 4.17 is the best in T20 World Cup history, surpassing Sunil Narine’s excellence from the 2012 chapter. Whenever the Indian Team needed a breakthrough, the Gujarat-bred pacer stepped up and delivered with the white cherry irrespective of the phases.
A left-arm pacer who stole the spotlight early in the T20 World Cup was Fazalhaq Farooqi. The Afghanistan quick mixed the pace-on deliveries with slower ones brilliantly. Moreover, he was as viscous with the new ball, bagging a fifer against Uganda followed by a four-for against New Zealand in the group stages. He ended the tourney with 17 scalps at a bowling average of 9.41 and an economy of 6.31.
Adam Zampa was one of the few positives for the Australian setup in the recently concluded mega-event. The wrist-spinner pocketed 13 wickets at a bowling average of 14.38. He also bagged a four-for against Namibia. Zampa regulated the middle overs phase exquisitely and often fragmented the building partnerships in the opposition unit.
WSG’s Team of World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma ©, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Andries Gous, Suryakumar Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jasprit Bumrah, Adam Zampa
12th man: Anrich Nortje
