JP Duminy anticipates India-South Africa final in Champions Trophy
What's the story
Former South African cricketer JP Duminy is looking forward to a potential rematch between India and South Africa in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
This comes as India gears up for the tournament under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, after their historic win against South Africa in the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the tournament is scheduled from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and UAE.
Tournament outlook
Duminy's confidence in South Africa's performance
Duminy also expressed confidence in South Africa's performance during major tournaments.
"What encourages me about South Africa is that, in big tournaments, we seem to see the best of them-we saw that in the T20 World Cup," he told TimesofIndia.com in an interview.
He further stressed on the importance of momentum and confidence for success in high-stakes tournaments like the Champions Trophy.
Player spotlight
Duminy highlights key players for South Africa
Duminy also highlighted a few key players who could play a major role in South Africa's success in the tournament.
He pointed out Heinrich Klaasen as a standout performer in white-ball cricket and stressed the need for consistent performances from other players including pacer Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, and David Miller.
"If two or three of them can find consistency, it will give us the best chance to win," he said.
Captaincy commendation
Duminy praises Rohit Sharma's leadership skills
Duminy, who played under Rohit's captaincy for the Mumbai Indians in 2018, hailed the skipper as a "great leader."
He said, "I've had the privilege of playing alongside him, and one of his greatest attributes is his consistency in who he is-regardless of his performances."
Duminy also expressed confidence in Rohit's ability to bounce back from challenges, and stated, "Form is temporary, class is permanent, and Rohit certainly fits that mold. I have no doubt he will come back stronger.
Squads
A look at the squads of both teams
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.
Travelling reserve: Kwena Maphaka.
Schedule
India and South Africa's schedule in the tournament
According to the hybrid model approved by the ICC, India will play all their matches in UAE.
They begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. They then face arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23, and end their group-stage matches with a fixture against New Zealand on March 02.
Meanwhile, the Proteas begin their campaign against tournament debutants Afghanistan. They then lock horns with Australia on February 25.
Their final group-stage game is scheduled for March 01, against England.