![Heinrich Klaasen announced his retirement from int'l cricket [Source: @cricketverse_/x.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1748870030943_HeinrichKlaasenRetirement.jpg?type=mq)
Heinrich Klaasen announced his retirement from int'l cricket [Source: @cricketverse_/x.com]
Heinrich Klaasen isn’t your everyday batter. He is a beast in beast mode, the kind of guy who doesn’t just take the game away, he rips it out of your hands and sprints off laughing.
After hanging up his boots in international cricket, Klaasen leaves behind a legacy packed with fireworks, fight and a habit of turning up just when India didn’t want him to. A spin-basher, a pressure-soaker and a six-machine, Klaasen’s best always seemed to come when the Men in Blue were in his way. Whether it was against spin, pace, or pressure, he made India feel the heat every single time.
Let’s take a look at 3 instances when Heinrich Klaasen proved to be India's nightmare in international cricket.
3. 69 off 30 Balls In Centurion, 2018
Let’s kick things off with Klaasen’s coming-of-age moment. Back in 2018 at Centurion, India had posted a solid 188, thanks to Manish Pandey and Dhoni’s late carnage. The pitch wasn’t a belter but Klaasen didn’t care. He walked in when South Africa were 38 for 2 and went full hulk-mode. Spinners? Yuzvendra Chahal got clobbered for 64 in 4 overs and a lot of that damage came from Klaasen’s bat.
He smashed 69 off just 30 balls with 3 fours and 7 sixes, most of which went miles into the stands. India looked like they had control until Klaasen showed up and tore the script apart. He made pace look harmless and spin look like child's play. That knock was raw, brutal and backed with swagger. India were blown away by six wickets and Klaasen was the wrecking ball.
2. 81 off 46 Balls In Cuttack, 2022
India’s bowlers probably still have flashbacks of this one. In the second T20I of the 2022 series, India posted a modest 148. It wasn’t much, but the way the South African top order folded, it suddenly looked like a tricky chase. Enter Klaasen. He walked in when the scoreboard was reading 29 for 3 and the crowd smelled a collapse. But Klaasen didn’t blink.
He took the bull by the horns and smacked 81 off 46 with 7 fours and 5 monster sixes. Spinners? Gone. Chahal was his prime target and Axar Patel wasn’t spared either. The match flipped like a coin and by the time Klaasen walked back, India had already accepted defeat. His strike rate? 176.09. And all this under pressure, in India, on a turning track. He didn’t just win South Africa the match by four wicket, he broke India’s back.
1. 52 off 27 Balls In Barbados, 2024
This one still stings. T20 World Cup Final. Barbados. June 2024. India were bossing the game. Klaasen walks in with SA needing a miracle. And guess what? He nearly pulled it off. The stage couldn’t have been bigger with 176 to chase, India on top, pressure mounting. But Heinrich was ice-cold. While others struggled to time the ball, Klaasen was batting like he had the cheat codes. He hammered 52 off 27 at a strike rate of 192.59, in a World Cup Final.
The Protea star smoked 2 fours and five huge sixes. For a brief moment, India fans had their hearts in their mouths as the equation had come down to almost run a ball in the last five overs. Klaasen had single-handedly brought South Africa back into the game but was sent back by Hardik Pandya in the nick of time. Eventually, India won by 7 runs. But it was Klaasen who made that final a heart-stopper and almost gave India a nightmare.
 "Jatin")
