And then there were two! India and South Africa, the two unbeaten sides in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, clash in the all-important final match on Saturday, June 29 at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. (Match Blog | IND Vs ENG Highlights| Scorecard)
The Proteas thrashed Afghanistan to win the first semi-final by nine wickets in Trinidad whereas India dished out a 68-run drubbing to England, who were the reigning champions of the trophy in the second semi-final match.
Aiden Markram's men have are in their maiden WC final whereas Rohit Sharma is the first Indian captain to lead his country in three ICC global finals in a space of 12 months -- 2023 World Test Championship, 2023 ODI World Cup and now the T20 World Cup.
Ahead of the final showing in Barbados, here are the three key battles to look forward to
Virat Kohli vs Kagiso Rabada
India's star batter Virat Kohli has had a dismal outing in the ongoing T20 World Cup. 'King Kohli' has scored 75 runs in seven innings in the marquee event and was even consoled by coach Rahul Dravid in the dug-out post his dismissal in the second semi-final. After the game, Rohit Sharma backed Kohli saying, "He (Kohli) is a quality player. Any player can go through that. We understand his class and his importance. Form is never a problem. The intent is there. Absolutely (backing Kohli for the final)." However, he faces an in-form Kagiso Rabada who has 12 wickets in eight matches and will be looking to turn up the heat on India's star batter. The Proteas ran riot against Afghanistan and will look to repeat the same against the Men In Blue on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma vs Tabraiz Shamsi
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has scored consecutive half-centuries in back-to-back games and moreover, it is his intent that has set him apart. Rohit is India's top scorer with 248 runs at a strike rate of 155.97. If one would have noticed very keenly, the 37-year-old attacked Australia's Adam Zampa and England's Adil Rashid with the latter later having the last laugh. SA's Tabraiz Shamsi will fancy his chances against Rohit and the spinner loves a challenge. His three-for in the semi was the standout performance and will want to carry on with the same in the final against India.
Jasprit Bumrah vs Quinton de Kock
These two know each other very well and will look to outdo each other when India go head-to-head against South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday, June 29. Bumrah has registered 13 wickets in the tourney but his economy rate has been top notch. As for QdK, his blistering start up the order, has set the tone for the Proteas in their unbeaten run. How these two approach each other in the final, will be a question on everyone's lips.
Squads:
South Africa Squad:
Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
India Squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
