Both teams have looked in imperious form on their way to the men’s T20 World Cup final, but who will come out on top at the Kensington Oval? Get ready for the big one with our South Africa vs India preview.
South Africa vs India: The Key Insights
- India are undefeated in men’s T20Is in 2024, picking up 10 wins in 10 games (one via Super Over) in the format in this calendar year.
- South Africa have won eight straight games in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the outright most by any team in a single edition of the competition.
- South Africa won by five wickets in their last men’s T20I fixture against India on neutral territory at Perth Stadium in October 2022 but had not previously beaten them in such a fixture since 2009, losing three games in between those encounters.
For the first time ever, both sides to reach the final of an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup have remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. South Africa are playing in their first ever World Cup final across white ball cricket, while this is India’s first World Cup final in the format in 10 years.
There’s plenty at stake for both captains, too. Rohit Sharma is one away from becoming the first player to reach 50 wins as captain in men’s T20Is. Aiden Markram, meanwhile, is yet to lose a match as captain in World Cups. Nine years ago, his South Africa side went unbeaten in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup triumph. The Proteas then won both the games at last year’s Cricket World Cup where Markram was the stand-in captain for Temba Bavuma. They have remained unbeaten in eight games at the ongoing tournament.
South Africa
For South Africa, this has been a tournament dominated by their bowlers, especially during the middle overs. The Proteas bowlers have taken 28 wickets in the middle overs (7-15) in this T20 World Cup, the most of all teams and three more than India (25).
Anrich Nortje has been the pick of the bowlers, taking 13 wickets, the most by any South Africa bowler in a single edition of the tournament. Nortje has failed to pick up a wicket in just one of his eight innings in the competition this year, while bowling at an economy rate of 5.6.
Quinton de Kock (204 runs in 2024), meanwhile, is 35 away from becoming South Africa’s leading run scorer in a single edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (Jacques Kallis – 238 in 2009); in fact, since the start of the Super Eight stage, only teammate Tristan Stubbs (61) has recorded a better batting average than De Kock (39) for the Proteas.
India
India boast arguably the most well-rounded bowling lineup in the competition, with as many as five bowlers taking eight or more wickets. They are the only team to rank in the top five for bowling strike rates for both seamers (13.9 – 4th) and spinners (14.8 – 3rd).
The duo of Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah have steered India’s boat in this World Cup. While Arshdeep has taken 15 wickets, the most by any Indian bowler in a single men’s T20 World Cup, Bumrah has bamboozled batters all around. He has induced a false shot from the batter on 62.3% of his 154 deliveries, the second-highest of any player to bowl at least five overs at the tournament.
The all-round effort of Hardik Pandya has also helped the Men in Blue’s cause. He has taken eight wickets and scored 106 runs in the last five overs (16-20) in the tournament, the most by any batter. That he’s done so at a strike rate of 186 has helped India always finish with a flurry of runs at the end.
Players to Watch
South Africa: Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada has played a pivotal role in South Africa’s stacked bowling attack in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with just one wicket fewer than their leader (Anrich Nortje – 13 wickets). Rabada has shown the ability to slow down innings, becoming the first Proteas bowler to log two maidens in a single edition of the tournament, with one of them coming in the semi-final against Afghanistan.
Apart from being economical in the ongoing edition, Rabada is going into the final in good nick, picking up multiple wickets in three of his last four games. The pacer has managed to dismiss each of Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Pandya in T20Is previously. Kohli specifically has had a tough time against Rabada, scoring 51 runs in the 48 balls he has faced against him in all T20 cricket, while getting dismissed four times.
Rabada is also the Proteas’ joint-leading wicket taker in the Powerplay this season (6 wickets), and their leading wicket taker in the slog overs (5 wickets). Taking all that into consideration, how well Markram can utilise the 29-year-old’s four overs will be crucial to their success in this much-awaited final.
India: Rohit Sharma
Skipper Rohit has been a reliable presence in the Indian camp ever since the start of the T20 World Cup, racking up 248 runs in this edition. He has already surpassed his previous best of 200 runs in the 2014 edition and is the third-highest run scorer among all batters in 2024, after Rahmanullah Gurbaz (281) and Travis Head (255). In fact, Sharma (three 50+ scores in 2024) is one away from equalling the record for most 50+ scores in a single edition of the competition.
Rohit’s spoils from this edition include his highest individual score in the tournament, a 92-run effort against Australia in India’s final Super Eight game. Given Kohli’s struggles so far, having the captain fire will be even more important for India in their quest for a second title.
Despite some of the records he broke this season, including becoming the fifth India captain to score 5,000+ runs in international cricket, and some records that he could still break, Rohit will come out with his eyes set on the ultimate prize – which is helping India join England and West Indies as the only sides with multiple titles to their name.
South Africa v India Squads
South Africa
Aiden Markram (c), Anrich Nortje, Bjorn Fortuin, David Miller, Gerald Coetzee, Heinrich Klaasen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Ottniel Baartman, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
Head coach: Rob Walter
India
Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma (c), Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Head coach: Rahul Dravid
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