The State of Play
India go in search of their first ICC trophy in 11 years tomorrow when they face South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados.
Despite being the best side in every format for long periods across the last decade, India have not tasted global success since their ICC Champions Trophy win in 2013.
They have the chance to change that remarkable record at the Kensington Oval and will go in as favourites following their semi-final thrashing of defending champions England.
India beat Jos Buttler’s men by 68 runs in a one-sided encounter – gaining revenge for their humbling defeat in Adelaide at the same stage two years ago.
The only slight negative from an Indian perspective was another failure from opener Virat Kohli. Kohli has managed just 75 runs in the tournament so far, at an average of 10.71.
Captain Rohit Sharma has backed the superstar batter to come good against the Proteas. Sharma said: “We understand his class. Form is never a problem when you’ve played for 15 years. He’s probably saving [his best] for the final.”
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India have played with great self-assurance in recent weeks and Sharma expects that to continue in the final, adding: “We’ve been calm as a team. The final is a big occasion but being composed helps make good decisions.
“We’ll try our best, the team is in good shape. All I can hope is to put up a good show come the final.”
They won’t find it easy against South Africa, though. Like India, they have gone through the tournament unbeaten and now find themselves in their first World Cup final.
Aiden Markram’s men were far too strong for Afghanistan in the semis after another solid, all-round performance.
And spinner Tabraiz Shamsi believes South Arica’s well balanced unit is the key to their success.
He said: “Everybody’s really relaxed, and in this team no-one is given the responsibility to win the game for the team.
“If you see maybe other teams or the Proteas teams of the past, there was a specific batter that was relied upon. There was a specific bowler that was relied upon. I personally cannot pinpoint which bowler is responsible for making us win or which batter is responsible for making us win.
“Normally, in most teams, if you get one or two of the main batters out, the team panics. Whereas with us, who’s that guy? Nobody. Everybody is responsible for doing their bit to make us win, and that’s just the way we’ve rolled.”
Thank you Mr President 🥹🏏🇿🇦 https://t.co/P737cN4ErL
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 28, 2024
Confirmed line-ups
India: Sharma (c), Kohli, Pant (wk), S Yadav, Pandya, Jadeja, Dube, Patel, Singh, K Yadav, Bumrah
South Africa: De Kock (wk), Hendricks, Markram (c), Stubbs, Klaasen, Miller, Jansen, Maharaj, Rabada, Nortje, Shamsi
Toss
India captain Sharma won the toss and elected to bat.
How to watch
Sky have the rights to show the T20 World Cup to UK viewers in 2024 and will broadcast every game live. Coverage gets underway on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
In India, the games can be streamed on Disney + Hotstar app and website. They are also available across the Star Sports Network.
That was one clinical show in the Semi-Final! 👌 👌
📸 📸 Summing up that win! #T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/kHdOIZ1Q9n
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 27, 2024
Prediction
The Indian juggernaut will take some stopping but if any side can do it, it’s the Proteas.
The pitch in Bridgetown is likely to favour pace which gives South Africa the edge, despite India holding the ace in the pack in Jasprit Bumrah.
It’s a tough one to predict but we are going to go for South Africa to edge it.
