MS Dhoni makes rare appearance on Instagram to congratulate India on T20 World Cup victory, shares long and raw message

It had been a long wait for Team India and its fans. The last time India clinched an ICC title was in 2013, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team won the Champions Trophy, beating England in a rain-delayed match on their home turf. At that time, no one could have imagined that India would wait 11 years to win their next major trophy. Talent was never in question; India regularly reached the knockout stages, but often failed due to crucial lapses in the game or dominance at critical moments.

On Saturday, June 29, a Rohit Sharma-led India team finally ensured that the performances remained clinical and that luck was on their side, as they ended their winless streak, clinching the T20 World Cup title with a dramatic victory over South Africa. This was not a game for the faint-hearted; at one point, a Proteas victory seemed almost inevitable. They needed 30 runs, then 26 off the last 24 deliveries. Then, the Jasprit Bumrah show began.

Considered one of the best pacers in modern cricket, Bumrah showed, once again, why he deserves that tag. He conceded just two runs while picking a wicket to establish a significant cushion for Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya to do the job and hand India a famous victory.

This was India’s second T20 World Cup title; the team also achieved its first victory 17 years ago under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. So it was almost poetic when, almost two hours after the victory, the tournament’s first winning captain laid out his raw emotions for the world to read and cherish. Dhoni, who is far from being active on social media platforms, posted on his official Instagram account to pay tribute to Rohit’s winning men.

‘Captain Cool’ he may be on the field, but Dhoni admitted that, as a fan, even he couldn’t suppress his feeling of butterflies when the South African batters launched an attack on the Indian bowlers. “My heart rate was up; well done for being calm, being confident and doing what you did,” Dhoni wrote for Team India.

“From all Indians at home and around the world, a big thank you for bringing the World Cup home. CONGRATULATIONS. A huge thank you for this priceless birthday gift,” Dhoni wrote.

Dhoni’s birthday is on July 7. Indeed, it was the best birthday present a former Indian captain could have asked for. He finally has company with Rohit Sharma as the country’s second skipper to win the T20 World Cup title!

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India have suffered a losing streak in the 2024 edition, becoming the first team to complete an entire T20 World Cup campaign unbeaten. Rohit Sharma’s men began their World Cup journey with a fine win over Ireland before staging a comeback similar to the final in the group match against Pakistan. After beating the United States and losing to Canada, India decimated the likes of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Australia in the Super Eight to set themselves up for a semi-final rematch against England.

The Indian team was not at all nervous, but they once again showed great efficiency by crushing the English team by 68 runs. In the final, Virat Kohli (76) finally shone with the bat after a rare below-par outing, while Axar Patel (47) also put in a brilliant performance after the team’s front-row collapse for lead India to a fighting score.