South Africa will face India in the final of the prestigious ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on June 29 at 8 pm IST. The most anticipated clash will be at Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados. South Africa is yet to add the coveted silver medal to its trophy cabinet, while India won the inaugural edition of the 2007 T20 World Cup held in Johannesburg.
2024 T20 World Cup Final
As we reach the climax of the ninth edition, it is worth noting that both the South African and Indian teams have remained undefeated in the tournament so far.
The Aiden Markram-led team broke SA’s qualifying games jinx against Afghanistan in Trinidad in a semi-final clash to contest the final on 29 June. While Rohit Sharma’s men overcame the ghosts of Adelaide 2022 to beat England and move closer to the 2024 Trophy.
Key Player Battles Ahead of SA vs IND Final
As we head into the adrenaline-pumping day of T20 cricket, here are some interesting player battles to keep an eye on:
1. Virat Kohli vs Kagiso Rabada
Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cups with 1,216 runs in 34 games. However, Kohli’s recent form says otherwise. In seven matches of the ongoing tournament, the top-order batsman has managed just 75 runs with a maximum score of 37. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada has been one of the go-to bowlers for the much-needed dismissals. In eight games, the right-hand pacer took 12 wickets.
Kohli faced Rabada in six T20Is and fell victim to him once at a decent average of 7.5. While the chase master scored just 15 runs from 16 balls faced. In the upcoming clash, Rabada’s form will be crucial to his team’s success in the power play.
2. Rohit Sharma vs Keshav Maharaj
In this tournament, Rohit Sharma led India’s batting from the front with 248 runs in seven games. His three half-centuries with a top score of 92 highlight his excellent form. Keshav Maharaj, a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, has performed decently with nine wickets in seven matches and could trouble the Indian captain on the friendly pitch at Kensington Oval.
Also, what makes this clash interesting is that in their only T20I encounter, the Proteas talent dismissed Rohit by giving away just 11 runs.
3. Quinton de Kock vs Arshdeep Singh
The only South African batsman to cross 200 runs in this tournament is Quinton de Kock, with 204 runs in eight matches. On the opposite side, Arshdeep Singh, a young pacer, rose through the ranks for the Men in Blue with 15 wickets in seven matches. His best T20I spell of 4/9 was recorded against the USA earlier this month.
Predominantly, Arshdeep has enjoyed bowling against de Kock in T20Is as the left-arm pacer has dismissed him twice at an average of six while conceding just 12 runs at a strike rate of 100.
4. David Miller vs Hardik Pandya
With 148 runs in seven innings in the 2024 T20 World Cup, David Miller has provided crucial support in the middle order. India’s Hardik Pandya also made his presence felt with his versatile skills. With the ball, Pandya scalped eight wickets in seven matches.
In a twist of fate, Miller and Pandya shared the dressing room while playing for the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 and 2023 Indian Premier League. In the T20I setup, Pandya took Miller’s wicket three times in six matches, while Miller managed 31 runs in 27 balls faced. It will be interesting to see how the two players face off as rivals on one of the biggest occasions in cricket.
5. Suryakumar Yadav vs Tabraiz Shamsi
After scoring 196 runs in seven games, Suryakumar Yadav is in the list of top 10 bowlers in this edition of the World Cup. The right-handed batsman also has two fifties to his credit. Tabraiz Shamsi, South Africa’s experienced left-arm wrist spinner, also made a difference with 11 wickets in just four games.
In their three T20I clashes, both the players are evenly positioned. Suryakumar plundered the left-arm spinner at a strike rate of 121.43 while Shamsi removed Suryakumar once. With three boundaries and a maximum, the Indian batsman scored 34 runs off 28 balls against Shamsi.
Topics mentioned in this article
This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
