India and South Africa are set to clash in the T20 World Cup 2024 final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. This will be India’s third appearance in the final while it is the first time that the Proteas have made it all the way into the final of the tournament. Both the teams have made it to the final unbeaten, so it is going to be a very interesting matchup.
Here are the 5 key battles that could determine the course of the match-
With 248 runs in the tournament so far, Rohit Sharma is the leading run-scorer for his side. His knocks of 92 against Australia and 57 against England proved to be pivotal in leading the Men in Blue to victory. Without him and his leadership, India wouldn’t have been able to make it to the final. On the other hand, Kagiso Rabada has taken 12 wickets in 8 matches but what’s even more impressive is his economy rate of 5.88 because he frequently bowls in the powerplay as well as in the death overs. With the pitch at Kensington Oval favoring the pacers, Rabada’s overs will prove to be crucial for South Africa.
With only 75 runs in 7 matches at an average of 10.71, Virat Kohli has had a dismal T20 World Cup campaign. He has struggled to score in every match and has also been dismissed on a few ducks. However, the South African bowlers cannot make the mistake of taking him lightly because there’s a reason why he is known as a big-game player. India will be hoping that he regains his form in the final. The thorn in Kohli’s path could be Marco Jansen. The left-arm pacer has taken 6 wickets in the tournament so far and Kohli has struggled particularly against left-arm seamers throughout the tournament. So, this battle will be very interesting.
South Africa’s wicketkeeper batsman, Quinton de Kock has been his side’s top scorer in the tournament so far with 204 runs. His knocks against USA and England in the Super 8 stage have been his highlights of the tournament so far. His experience can come in handy for South Africa in this huge match. His main battle will be against arguably India’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. The pacer has taken 13 wickets in the tournament so far with an excellent economy rate of 4.12. India will be relying on him to restrict the South Africans to a modest score.
The South African captain has had a so-so T20 World Cup campaign as he has only scored 119 runs at an average of 17 in the tournament so far. However, if he gets going then he can prove to be a real headache for the Indian bowlers, thus his wicket will be very important. On the other hand, Markram and Co’s main competition will be against India’s left-arm spinner, Kuldeep Yadav. The chinaman has already bagged 10 scalps in 4 matches in the World Cup so far and looking at South African batsmen’s struggle against spinners throughout the tournament, Kuldeep could prove to be India’s trump card in the final.
With 196 runs in the tournament so far, Suryakumar Yadav has been a massive asset for the Indian team. He hasn’t played any big innings, but his knocks of over 30 and 40 runs have been quite important in taking India to good totals. South Africa’s pacer, Anrich Nortje will prove to be a big threat for the Indian batsmen in the final. The pacer has already taken 13 wickets in the tournament so far and the Proteas will be relying on him to dismiss the big players in the final.
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