The T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa was not straightforward, as the Indian bowlers put up a remarkable performance at the end securing the win. Despite South Africa needing only 30 runs from 30 balls, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh's impressive death bowling turned the game in India's favor, leading to a 7-run victory. Surprisingly, Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match, which former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar found questionable.

In a post-match show on ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar argued that Kohli's 76-run knock off 59 balls actually put India under pressure before the bowlers' late surge. He believed that an Indian bowler should have received the Player of the Match award instead of Kohli.

"By playing that innings, Hardik Pandya, one of their most devastating batters, had just two balls to face. So I thought India's batting was good, but Virat Kohli had potentially played an innings that would've put India in a tight corner. And it almost proved to be that, before these guys' bowlers came in the end.

"India were in a losing position, 90 percent winning chances (for South Africa). The complete turnaround actually saved Virat Kohli's innings because he played virtually half the innings with a strike-rate of 128. My Player of the Match would've been a bowler because they actually took the game from the jaws of defeat and won it for India," Manjrekar said.

On the other hand, former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower had a slightly different view. He acknowledged that India's total of 176 was sufficient but admitted that Kohli would have faced significant criticism had the team lost.

"If India had been pipped there, there would've been a lot of criticism going Virat Kohli's way, I'd reckon. At the halfway mark, I thought India had enough, and that it was going to be a very difficult chase for South Africa," he said.