IND Vs RSA, ICC T20 World Cup Final 2024: India Beat South Africa By Seven Runs In Title Clash - As It Happened

Here are the highlights of the grand finale of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 played between India and South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday (June 29). India beat South Africa by seven runs to clinch their second ICC T20 World Cup title. Defending a 176-run total, Men In Blue displayed a masterclass in bowling and outplayed the South African side in the death overs. Catch the highlights of the IND Vs SA match, here. (Streaming | Prediction | Preview)

According to several weather reports, there is a moderate to high chance of rainfall all through the day in Barbados. But the weather prediction could change and may or may not match with what actually transpires in the evening (final starts at 8pm IST). Stay with us for the latest updates regarding the rain situation in the India vs South Africa clash.

If no result is possible due to rain today, there is a provision of a reserve day tomorrow (Sunday, June 30). But the match officials will try their best to ensure a result today, even if it means reducing the number of overs. Each side must play a minimum of 10 overs to constitute a complete match.

There will be 190 minutes of extra time allotted today to account for rain and/or other weather-related delays during the India vs South Africa final. If both teams do not play out at least 10 overs by then, the reserve day will be activated tomorrow.

Though it is highly unlikely, in case a full match is not possible over the course of Saturday and Sunday, the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy will be shared by India and South Africa.

If the match does go into the reserve day (Sunday), it will be continued from things are left today. The match will not begin afresh. Play will be scheduled to start at 8pm IST, just like today.

The final will be the ninth match of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 to be played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. India have played one game here, which resulted in a 47-run win over Afghanistan. For South Africa, this will be the first outing at the venue in this edition.

Want to sneak a peek of the Indian team ahead of the final? Check out this video shared on the Board of Control of Cricket in India's official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Ricky Ponting has had a lot of experience of playing (and winning) ICC event finals as the former Australia captain. Here's what he will tell South Africa players, who are playing their maiden World Cup final:

"A lot of teams say 'It's just another game' and they try and hide away from how big the occasion is and it is no good doing that. It is all about embracing it for what it is.

"These players haven't been there before, so enjoy tonight, enjoy tomorrow. But make sure everything you do leading in is the same and your preparation is the same," Ponting said on the ICC's Digital Daily show.

While the Indian men's team braces for the final against South Africa at ICC T20 World Cup 2024, their women counterparts are piling on the agony for the Proteas in the one-off Test in Chennai. India are batting at 603 runs for the loss of five wickets on Day 2. This is already the biggest score in women's Test cricket history, breaking the mark set by Australia earlier this year (575/9).

India and South Africa have locked horns 26 times in T20 internationals, and the Men In Blue have won 14 of those encounters. The Proteas have won 11, while one game ended in a no result.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Ryan Rickelton.

The weather forecast for 10am in Barbados (7:30pm IST, when the toss is scheduled to take place) is as follows:

The temperature is predicted to be 30 degrees Celsius, and there is a 36% chance of rain and 68% cloud cover. The humidity is forecast to be 68% at that time.

Disclaimer: The weather forecast shared is a projection. Actual weather conditions during the match may differ and are subject to change.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is bullish about India's chances, refusing to entertain the possibilities of a back-to-back India defeat at an ICC event final after the 2023 ODI World Cup heart-break. Ganguly backs Rohit Sharma to deliver the goods as a leader.

"I'm very happy for Rohit Sharma. Life comes full circle. Six months ago he was not even the captain of Mumbai Indians and the same man is now leading India to a World Cup final, unbeaten," Ganguly said.

"I don't think he (Rohit Sharma) can lose two World Cup finals in seven (six) months. He will probably jump into the Barbados ocean if he loses two finals under his captaincy in seven months. He has led from the front, batted brilliantly, and I hope it continues tomorrow. Hope India finishes on the right side, and they should play with freedom," he added.

India have played one game in Barbados (against Afghanistan), while for South Africa, this will be their first outing at the venue in this edition. India head coach Rahul Dravid believes that knowledge could be helpful for the team.

“Yeah, I mean, just the fact that we've played a game in Barbados is nice. It's nice that we have that familiarity of having played on that surface in the past.

“But again, I think it's very hard to... We're not going to get exactly the same wicket that we got last time. I mean, it can be different, right?" Dravid said.

It is currently 4:32 AM (local time) in Bridgetown, Barbados and not yet raining.

The temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. However, a thunderstorm is expected at 6 AM (3.15 PM IST). The T20 World Cup final match will start at 10.30 AM local time (8 PM India time).

We are under five hours away for the big final! Exciting and poetic storylines all around. The stage seems set. Can the Proteas finally win after breaking the ICC tournament semi-final jinx after seven times? Or will India win a major ICC trophy for the first time in over a decade? 

A 19-year-old Aiden Markram became the first boy that led South Africa to their first-ever U-19 World Cup title back in 2014. A decade later, he became the first man to lead South Africa to their first-ever T20 World Cup final. Are the stars finally aligning for the Proteas?

As the clock goes tick-tock, the heart rates are slowing starting to rise. The nerves, starting to kick in? Set your alarms so you don't miss any action from the T20 World Cup final

World Test Championship 2023 - Finalists

ODI World Cup 2024 - Finalists

T20 World Cup 2024 - Finalists*

In the last T20I match against South Africa, Men In Blue registered a 106-run win in the third T20I game of the bilateral series. The series ended with 1-1 draw but it was then-captain Suryakumar Yadav's ton that set the tone as India set a 202-run target while batting first. Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets in the match to finish the Proteas innings on 95 runs.

Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav and South Africa batter Tristan Stubbs played together for Delhi Capitals in the IPL this year and there was a tactical masterstroke from Kuldeep. He refused to bowl in front of Stubbs in the nets. He was certainly keeping his bowling a mystery for him and now both of them are up against each other in the big stage.

Men In Blue are unbeaten in the tournament after finishing as the leaders of the points table in the league stage and Super 8s. They defeated England in the semi-final 2 and now will clash with the Proteas side in the final of T20 World Cup 2024.

The final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is also the last game for Indian legend Rahul Dravid as team's Head Coach. Dravid was asked for an extension for his role after India's last year defeat in ODI World Cup. He has been successful in taking the team to three ICC showpiece finals in last 12 months. Will he get the farewell he deserves, we will get to know today.

The weather in the Kensington Oval is favourable for a cricket match. The sun is out, it's pleasant atmosphere in the stadium. The fans are coming and players are also out on the ground doing their warm-up.

The pitch no. 4 will be used and it looks like a batting pitch as per Ian Bishop from the pitch report. The surface looks hard and the ball will come nicely on the bat. There's no live grass to hold the pitch together. Spinners might get some assistance from the surface.

India won the toss and opt to bat first in the summit clash against South Africa.

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Both teams were out for the national anthems and Chris Gayle along with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley presented the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy. Indian national anthem was first then South Africa's.

Indian openers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have given a flying start to the innings. Sharma faced the first delivery of Marco Jansen and took a single, then Kohli smashed back-to-back fours. He took a double then hit another four to collect 15 runs from the over.

IND - 15/0 (1)

Keshav Maharaj was introduced in the second over and Rohit Sharma welcomed him with back-to-back fours. Sharma tried to play a sweep and was caught at the square-leg. Rishabh Pant also lost his wicket on the last delivery of the over.

IND - 23/2 (2)

Kagiso Rabada came to bowl the third over and he conceded just three runs from it. Suryakumar Yadav has joined Virat Kohli at the crease.

IND - 26/2 (3)

Keshav Maharaj bowled the fourth over and his tight lengths kept Indian batters at bay, but Kohli managed to find the gap and extract six runs from the over.

IND - 32/2 (4)

Suryakumar Yadav also lost his wicket trying to play a big shot. Kagiso Rabada got his man as Heinrich Klaasen took a fabulous catch in the deep. Axar Patel is promoted up the batting order and started with a beautiful boundary.

IND - 39/3 (5)

After losing three wickets in the powerplay, Indian batters reduced their pace of run. Virat Kohli and Axar Patel are in the middle and the duo is looking look. Patel smashed Markram for a six in the eight over.

IND - 59/3 (8)

Axar Patel is playing some big shots in between to keep the pressure off Kohli. Tabraiz Shamsi was introduced late into the attack and he conceded seven runs from the over.

IND - 75/3 (10)

India have lost only three of their last 28 T20Is (W20, L3, T1, NR4).

Axar Patel is looking good today with the promotion in the batting order. He ended the 12th over with a six straight down the ground. India need to accelerate from here.

IND - 93/3 (12)

Axar Patel started the 14th over with a bang. A straight drive six off Rabada and he was nearing his half-century. On the 4th delivery of the over, he left his crease for a single but Kohli refused. De Kock collected the ball and found Patel out of his crease and threw it to the bowler's end, where Patel looked lazy and lost his wicket with an inch.

IND - 108/4 (14)

6 - Marlon Samuels vs SL, Colombo, 2012
4 - Misbah-ul-Haq vs IND, Jo'burg, 2007
4 - Virat Kohli vs SL, Mirpur, 2014
4 - Carlos Braithwaite vs ENG, Kolkata, 2016
4 - Mitchell Marsh vs NZ, Dubai, 2021
4 - Axar Patel vs SA, Bridgetown, 2024*

Shivam Dube is looking to slog anything which is coming his way. He started with a six off Jansen and then hit a four off Shamsi in the next over. India are looking for a big finish from here.

IND - 126/4 (16)

Virat Kohli completed his half-century in 48 balls. But he shifted gears after reaching the milestone and smashed Kagiso Rabada for 16 runs in his last over. Now both batters are eyeing for a big total from here.

IND - 150/4 (18)

72* (44), 2014 SF

76 (59), 2024 Final

First 50+ score for Kohli in the last 10 T20I innings.

Virat Kohli found his rhythm after the half-century and smashed Marco Jansen for two boundaries in the 19th over. He was caught out in the deep on the fifth delivery. Hardik Pandya came and hit a four on the last delivery to collect 17 runs from the over. Jansen finished with the bowling figures of 4-0-49-1.

IND - 167/5 (19)

Anrich Nortje came to bowl the final over and conceded just nine runs in the over. Dube hit a boundary but lost his wicket on the next delivery. Jadeja came and slogged the next delivery for a double. He tried the same on the next delivery and was caught out. India set a 177-run target for South Africa in the final.

IND - 176/7 (20)

Brief Score: IND - 176/7 (20)

Virat Kohli - 76 (59), Axar Patel - 47 (31) | Anrich Nortje: (4-0-26-2)

Arshdeep Singh started with the first over for India and conceded just six runs. Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock opened the batting for South Africa. India need early breakthroughs.

SA - 6/0 (1)

Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Reeza Hendricks on the third delivery of his first over to provide India their first wicket of the day. Captain Aiden Markram is the new batter at the crease.

SA - 11/1 (2)

Arshdeep Singh got rid of Aiden Markram in the third delivery of the third over. He got him caught behind and provided the second breakthrough for India. Tristan Stubbs and Quinton de Kock are at the crase.

SA - 22/2 (4)

Kuldeep Yadav was introduced into the attack in the sixth over and he with the help of a boundary on the last delivery, Proteas has been successful in extracting 10 runs from his over. Powerplay ended with a boundary.

SA - 42/2 (6)

Tristan Stubbs was looking in fine form and could prove to be lethal for India. With 40 runs leaking in the last four overs, Rohit Sharma gave the ball to Patel once again. He was hit for a six on the first delivery of the over but backed his length and bowled Stubbs. Heinrich Klaasen is the new batter at the crease.

SA - 71/3 (9)

The set batter Quinton de Kock was looking dangerous and was holding one end from the start. He smashed a boundary on the send delivery of Singh's over but got caught in the deep while trying to play the same shot again. He made 39 runs off 31 balls. David Miller is the new batter at the crease.

SA - 109/4 (13)

Axar Patel came to bowl the 15th over and Heinrich Klaasen smashed two sixes and a couple of fours to extract 24 runs from the over. It has came down to run-a-ball. Now, it's South Africa's game to lose.

SA - 147/4 (15)

Hardik Pandya was called back into the attack and he delivered with the wicket of half-centurion Heinrich Klassen. He gave just four runs from the 17th over and the match has become interesting. South Africa need 22 runs off 18 balls to win this match. David Miller and Marco Jansen are at the crease.

SA - 155/5 (17)

Jasprit Bumrah came to bowl the 18th over and conceded just two runs from the over. He also dismissed Marco Jansen with a beautiful delivery. Now, Keshav Maharaj is on strike and South Africa need 20 runs off the final two overs.

SA - 157/6 (18)

Arshdeep Singh bowled an economical over and conceded just four runs from it. Now, South Africa need 16 runs off the final over to win the match. David Miller will be on the strike, Hardik Pandya to bowl the final over.

SA - 161/6 (19)

With 16 runs to defend in the final over, Hardik Pandya's first delivery was smashed by David Miller but Suryakumar Yadav took a stunner near the boundary rope to dismiss him. Pandya bowls the next five deliveries comfortably with Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj at the crease.

SA - 169/8 (20)

This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can't get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup. Wanted to Yes I have, this was an open secret. Not something that I wasn't going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward. It's been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament. You look at someone like Rohit, he's played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it. It's been difficult to hold things (emotions) back and I think it's going to sink in later. It's an amazing day and I'm thankful.

It means everything for me. When I came to this WC - last few years I've been getting injured, not getting that performance. I wanted to do something for India. Feeling proud. I tried to keep it simple. Just thought of it as another match. That worked for me. When I went to bat, I didn't think of what'll happen if I get out. Rohit is an amazing match. He led India very well in this tournament. Rahul bhai asked us to enjoy, not take pressure. I thought I'm going down the order. When we lost three wickets, Rahul bhai suddenly asked me to pad up. Didn't have time to think about batting and it helped me.

Usually I’m the one who tries to keep my emotions in check and get the job done but today I don’t have many words, I don’t usually cry after a game but the emotions are taking over. We were in trouble but we’re really over the moon to win from that stage. My family is here, we came close last time and we got the job done, there’s no better feeling than to get your team through in a game like this. It just felt good, tried to keep myself in a bubble and tried not to think too far ahead. When the big day comes, you have to do it, throughout the tournament I felt very clear. I always think about one ball and one over at a time, don’t think too far ahead. Emotions can take over, it was taking over but you have to keep it in check but now that the game is over, it can come out and you can scream and shout. (When he was asked to bowl the 16th over) I saw the ball was a bit scuffed up and it would reverse a bit, thought which would be the most difficult shot for the batter and was able to execute it.

It means a lot. Very emotional, we’ve been working very hard and something was not clicking. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. More special for me, how my last 6 months were, I haven’t spoken a word. I knew that if I kept working hard I could shine and do what I could do. Getting an opportunity like this makes it more special. We always believed, it was just about executing our plans and staying calm and letting the pressure come to them. Credit to Jassi (Bumrah) and the other bowlers for those last 5 overs. Knew it would not help me if I wasn’t calm, wanted to commit 100% to every ball I’ve bowled. I’ve always enjoyed pressure. Very happy for him (Dravid), he’s been a wonderful man, really enjoyed working with him, to give him a farewell like this is wonderful, have had a very good relationship with him and became friends. Very happy for all the support staff. (Rohit walks over and gives Pandya a kiss)

My only belief was on Jassy (Bumrah) bhai (To turn this game around). He's the only game-changer. Whatever I thought exactly happened. Unbelievable feeling guys, can't explain. Last World Cup I (we) lost the final. Every professional cricketer wants to win the World Cup final. I'm grateful I'm here and thankful. (Siraj was emotional throughout the interview).

17 - Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG, 2024)
17 - Arshdeep Singh (IND, 2024)
16 - Wanindu Hasaranga (SL, 2021)
15 - Ajantha Mendis (SL, 2012)
15 - Wanindu Hasaranga (SL, 2022)
15 - Anrich Nortje (SA, 2024)
15 - Jasprit Bumrah (IND, 2024)

4/12 - Ajantha Mendis vs WI, Colombo 2012
3/9 - Sunil Narine vs SL, Colombo 2012
3/12 - Sam Curran vs PAK, Melbourne 2022
3/20 - Hardik Pandya vs SA, Bridgetown 2024

16 - Virat Kohli (125 mats)*
15 - Suryakumar Yadav (68)
14 - Rohit Sharma (159)
14 - Sikandar Raza (86)
14 - Mohd Nabi (129)
14 - Virandeep Singh (78)

Shahid Afridi
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Kevin Pietersen
Shane Watson
Virat Kohli (2)
David Warner
Sam Curran
Jasprit Bumrah*

50 - Rohit Sharma (IND)
48 - Babar Azam (PAK)
45 - Brian Masaba (UGA)
44 - Eoin Morgan (ENG)

Gutted for the time being, it will take some time to have a good reflection on this. Hurts quite a bit, but full credit to the bowlers and everyone else in this team. We bowled well, there wasn't a lot to work with and retrict them to a chaseable total. We batted well, came down to the wire in a great game of cricket but not quite there for us today. We've seen a lot of our games, it isn't over till the last ball is bowled. We never got comfortable and there was always scoreboard pressure. Having said that, this was a really good game which proves that we were worthy finalists. Hopefully this sets us up in a really good way, we pride ourselves on competing and hopefully we can put our skill to good use.

Very hard to sum up what we have been through for the last 3-4 years. We work very hard as a team, lot has gone on behind the scenes. It is not today, it is what we have been doing for the last 3-4 years. We have played lots of high pressure games and come on the wrong side too. But the guys understand what is to be done when the back is against the wall, we stuck together and the guys, all of us really wanted to win this really bad. I am very proud of this bunch of boys to give us the liberty to play the way we want and execute. And credit needs to go to the management as well. Nobody was in doubt with Virat's form. We know the quality he has, come the occasion the big players will stand up. Virat was holding that end up for us, we wanted someone to bat as long as possible. This wasn't a wicket where a new guy could come and play straight. That's where the experience of Virat comes through. I've been someone who has seen him play for so many years, but even I don't know how he does it. It is a masterclass. He backs his skills and he is a very confident lad. Hardik was brilliant as well, bowling that last over. Fantastic for the fans to support us through New York till Barbados. And all the guys in India, it is a late night but I'm sure they'll all be waiting to watch this. They have been waiting a long time, just like us.

India have won the T20 World Cup 2024 and became the second-time champions defeating South Africa in a thriller. Congratulations to Indian cricket fans and thank you very much for joining us. Take very good care of yourself. We will be taking your leave now. Goodnight!