South Africa's star batter David Miller opened up about his team’s heartbreaking defeat at the hands of India in the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados on Saturday (June 29).

Chasing 177 to win, South Africa were cruising when Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27) was at the crease. After Klaasen’s wicket, however, they lost the plot as the Indian pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (2-18), Hardik Pandya (3-20) and Arshdeep Singh (2-20) pulled things back in the last five overs to restrict the Proteas to 169/8 in 20 overs.

Miller was in the middle when the Proteas needed 16 runs in the last over. He attempted to hit Hardik Pandya’s first ball for a six but was caught at long-off by Suryakumar Yadav, who pulled off one of the best catches in the history of the tournament.

His wicket was the final nail in the coffin as Hardik had to deal with the South African tail-enders for the remaining five deliveries.

"I am gutted!! Really tough pill to swallow after what transpired 2 days ago. Words don't explain how I am feeling," Miller wrote in an Instagram story on Monday (July 1).

"One thing I do know is how proud I am of this unit. This journey was an incredible one, with highs and lows throughout the entire month. We have endured pain, but I know this team has the resilience and will keep raising the bar," he added.

After India’s victory in the final, Virat Kohli was awarded Player-of-the-Match for his 59-ball 76 while Jasprit Bumrah was named the Player-of-the-Tournament.

With this triumph, India ended their 11-year-old ICC trophy drought. On the other hand, South Africa’s dream of winning the World Cup title remained unfulfilled once again.