T20 WC final, India vs South Africa: Key player battles
South Africa will meet India in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup final, which will be played in Barbados on June 29. Notably, both teams are unbeaten in this tournament and it will be interesting to see which side tastes the glory. While India are eyeing their second title, SA will make their maiden World Cup final appearance. Let's decode the key player battles.
Jasprit Bumrah vs Quinton de Kock
As Jasprit Bumrah has been in lethal form, SA must come up with a concrete plan to tackle him. Opener Quinton de Kock will face the pacer with the new ball. According to ESPNcricinfo, Bumrah has dismissed de Kock once across four T20 meetings. The former has a powerplay economy of 3.75 in this competition. De Kock's strike rate in this regard reads 158.42.
Heinrich Klaasen vs Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav has been tormenting batters in the middle overs. Heinrich Klaasen's battle with him is to watch out for. Known for his proficiency against spin, the SA dasher has a strike rate of 142.62 against spinners in this competition. Meanwhile, he has a strike rate of 172.22 against Kuldeep in T20 cricket. The latter is yet to dismiss him.
Rohit Sharma vs Marco Jansen
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma hammered match-winning fifties in his last two outings. Marco Jansen will look to send him back early. The speedster has claimed six powerplay wickets in the 2024 T20 WC as his economy is 5.85. Rohit's strike rate in this phase is 146.60. Notably, Rohit has fallen to left-arm pacers 10 times across 22 T20 meetings this year (Batting SR: 162.58).
Hardik Pandya vs Anrich Nortje
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has aced the all-rounder's role in this tournament. His strike rate in the last five overs reads a stunning 185.96. Anrich Nortje will look to keep him quiet with his thunderbolts. He has claimed three wickets in the slog overs while conceding runs at just 7 per over. Nortje has dismissed Hardik twice across nine T20 meetings (Batting SR: 142.85).
Key details about the match
The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, will host this clash on June 29. Pitches at this venue are conducive to spin-bowling as the bounce remains low. The toss-winning skipper is likely to bat. Notably, batters have dominated the proceedings here in the ongoing tourney. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on Disney+Hotstar (8:00pm IST).
