Saturday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final will see the two teams who have travelled unbeaten to summit clash. One among India and South Africa will taste defeat and with it endure its first and hardest heartbreak.
India replicated its dominant run in the 50-over World Cup this time around too. Rohit Sharma’s men are through to their second successive ICC final after making the summit clash in the ODI variant last time, conceding the crown to Australia. India made amends this time around. Australia was beaten comprehensively in the Super Eight stage, eventually contributing to the team’s ouster. India also swept past England in the penultimate knockout fixture.
Waiting for India is a South African side that knows the ache of defeat better than anyone else and will be hungry to clinch its first-ever ICC World trophy.
The Proteas brushed aside Afghanistan in the semis on a pitch that kicked up a storm in the cricketing world. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma’s India has also traversed arduous surfaces but managed to play some eye-popping cricket along the way. The Indian skipper’s half-century in the campaign opener against Ireland and Suryakumar Yadav’s knock against USA came on wickets which not only tested technique but also temperament. These star batters have been ably supported by vice-captain Hardik Pandya whose frequent cameos have often been the difference between victory and defeat for this Indian outfit.
India bat deep and that’s a huge advantage against a testing new ball attack that the Proteas have. The competitive edge for the 2007 champion comes from its superior spin arsenal. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav have been almost unplayable in the Americas thus far.
The Proteas do have spin-immune resources in the likes of Heinrich Klaasen who shown his prowess in the recently concluded chapter of the IPL. Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram also play spin well. South Africa’s pace trident which features Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, but Rohit’s PowerPlay fluency means the seamers have to bowl through their skins to shake the Indian skipper. India has a pace trump card of its own in Jasprit Bumrah, who has been the difference between the country’s campaigns in 2022 and 2024.
Big finals come with their own pressures and it’s hard to predict who will emerge triumphant. However, this South African unit looks like a different beast that’s determined to bury the ‘choke’ word once and for all.
(Professional Management Group)