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THE TIMES OF INDIA | Jun 29, 2024, 14:25:03 IST
India vs South Africa, T20 World Cup Final 2024: India will be out to end their global title drought while South Africa are seeking to bury their 'chokers' tag at Kensington Oval when the tournament's two unbeaten sides clash in the Twenty20 World Cup final. Their blemish-free campaigns and comprehensive victories in the semi-finals leave no doubt that the 20-team tournament's best two sides have made the final in Bridgetown. A day after South Africa stopped Afghanistan's fairytale run in the first semi in Trinidad, India ended England's title defence in Guyana to make the third consecutive final of a global event across all formats. Skipper Rohit Sharma will hope India, who lost in the finals of the World Test Championship and the 50-overs home World Cup last year, will make it third time lucky. Both Rohit, 37, and stalwart Virat Kohli, 35, are playing what could be their last T20 World Cup, and winning the trophy would be a perfect farewell for them. They appear to have both the game plan and personnel to do just that. At the top of the order, Rohit personifies India's batting philosophy, which values a string of attacking cameos more than one match-winning knock from any one batter. Their three-pronged spin attack has served them well in the second half of the tournament, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been almost unplayable so far. It will be a test of nerves for their opponents as well as South Africa look to shed their baggage from having reached their first World Cup final in any format after seven semi-final heartbreaks. Their pace attack has been on the money, bailing them out whenever their batters failed. Opener Quinton de Kock has used his Caribbean Premier League experience to good use, while there is significant firepower in their middle order. In Aiden Markram, South Africa also have a composed leader who has gone 10 matches unbeaten as captain.
As India and South Africa prepare to clash in the T20 World Cup final on Saturday, the weather forecast looms large, with rain predicted to play a crucial role in the outcome of the much-anticipated match. India’s only T20 World Cup triumph came 17 years ago in the inaugural edition of the tournament. And India's last major silverware was the Champions Trophy in 2013. South Africa, too, has a long title drought, with their only ICC tournament victory being the Champions Trophy in 1998. Both teams have been unbeaten in this tournament, with India overpowering defending champions England in a rain-delayed semifinal, while South Africa thumped Afghanistan to reach their first-ever World Cup final.
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