Bridgetown (Barbados), Keeping a firm grip on emotions will be crucial when the formidable Indian team, desperate to end their long title drought, make another attempt to shake off the monkey's back against a South African team, unfamiliar with the feeling of gain. , in the T20 World Cup final here on Saturday.
India's campaign in the tournament has been remarkably similar to that of the ODI World Cup at home last year, where they raced to the final only to be pipped by Australia on the big stage.
Here they are also undefeated and have been the best in the tournament by far. More importantly, this time they do not have a hardened Australia on their way to an elusive trophy. South Africa, whose only triumph in ICC events was in the Champions Trophy (then called ICC Knock-Out Trophy) in 1998, reaches the final with own hopes and dreams.
Labeled Chokers for the highlight of their international cricket journey, the Proteas will be determined to shed that dubious label for good at Kensington Oval.
For some of its players, who consider the IPL titles as their greatest achievement, a World Cup trophy in their hands will be the ultimate prize. If we go by the mood among fans and pundits after After India beat England in the semi-final in Guyana, Rohit Sharma and his men are the big favorites.
It is a fair observation considering the composition of the Indian team and the conditions in the Caribbean. They would be expected to erase the anguish of November 19, 2023, when more than one lakh fans in Ahmedabad were silenced by Pat Cummins' Australia in the biggest final.
"I know India has struggled in the ICC finals for a long time, but I don't see South Africa posing a challenge. India has been the best team in the tournament so far and, man to man, South Africa is a weaker team." said a former World Cup-winning captain on the flight from Guyana to Barbados. It would also be a perfect send-off for outgoing coach Rahul Dravid, who was left despondent in the Caribbean in the 2007 ODI World Cup as India captain after the early departure from the team, but he is on the verge of a notable farewell as coach.
The way India, who are in their first T20 World Cup final in 10 years, have adapted to the conditions of the competition has gone a long way in securing the final spot. Team management has been very clear about their plans for the event.
They used three specialist pacers on the untested pitches of New York before playing their trump card, Kuldeep Yadav, on the spin-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean. India are sure to keep the same playing eleven, but expect Two of their key players meet in the winner-takes-all contest.
Superstar Virat Kohli has had a quiet tournament, something that was not expected after her prolific season in the previous IPL.
However, in deliveries where getting over the line has been a challenge, the former Indian captain has not been able to dominate the bowlers despite clear attempts to do so. "He is saving himself for the final," said his opening partner and captain Rohit Sharma, backing an undisputed great of the game who could be playing his last innings in the T20 final.
Rohit, on the other hand, has shown the way to other batsmen in the team and his innings will have enormous importance in the final.
The captain would also like to see Shivam Dube excel in the high-pressure game as he has given mediocre results in the tournament so far. His battles against spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi could have a big impact. On the bowling front, India has nothing to worry about as both the pacers and spinners perform their roles to perfection.
Arriving here just after the semi-final against England leaves them just one day to recover, as has been the case since the start of the Super 8 campaign on this same ground.
South Africa, for its part, had an extra day between the final and will train on Friday. Unlike India, they have nothing to lose since they had never participated in a World Cup final before, but after a resounding victory over Afghanistan in Trinidad, the Proteas are smelling the taste of victory.
They would expect runs from the opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks, especially the goalkeeper who can put a lot of pressure on the opponent when he is in good form. Captain Aiden Markram couldn't fire against the bigger teams in the Super 8s and he is expected to have a big one.
Heinrich Klaasen, one of the most destructive batsmen in the game, also needs runs and for that he will have to negotiate the threat of spin in the mid overs. South Africa's pace has been on fire but it remains to be seen what kind of impact he can have in a day game here. Shamsi and Maharaj are effective, but Indian batsmen will not be wary of them.
There is a good chance of rain on Saturday, but the ICC has set aside a reserve day for the important fixture.
Squads:======
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin , Ryan Rickelton.Game starts: 8 p.m. IST.
India's campaign in the tournament has been remarkably similar to that of the ODI World Cup at home last year, where they raced to the final only to be pipped by Australia on the big stage.
Here they are also undefeated and have been the best in the tournament by far. More importantly, this time they do not have a hardened Australia on their way to an elusive trophy. South Africa, whose only triumph in ICC events was in the Champions Trophy (then called ICC Knock-Out Trophy) in 1998, reaches the final with own hopes and dreams.
Labeled Chokers for the highlight of their international cricket journey, the Proteas will be determined to shed that dubious label for good at Kensington Oval.
For some of its players, who consider the IPL titles as their greatest achievement, a World Cup trophy in their hands will be the ultimate prize. If we go by the mood among fans and pundits after After India beat England in the semi-final in Guyana, Rohit Sharma and his men are the big favorites.
It is a fair observation considering the composition of the Indian team and the conditions in the Caribbean. They would be expected to erase the anguish of November 19, 2023, when more than one lakh fans in Ahmedabad were silenced by Pat Cummins' Australia in the biggest final.
"I know India has struggled in the ICC finals for a long time, but I don't see South Africa posing a challenge. India has been the best team in the tournament so far and, man to man, South Africa is a weaker team." said a former World Cup-winning captain on the flight from Guyana to Barbados. It would also be a perfect send-off for outgoing coach Rahul Dravid, who was left despondent in the Caribbean in the 2007 ODI World Cup as India captain after the early departure from the team, but he is on the verge of a notable farewell as coach.
The way India, who are in their first T20 World Cup final in 10 years, have adapted to the conditions of the competition has gone a long way in securing the final spot. Team management has been very clear about their plans for the event.
They used three specialist pacers on the untested pitches of New York before playing their trump card, Kuldeep Yadav, on the spin-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean. India are sure to keep the same playing eleven, but expect Two of their key players meet in the winner-takes-all contest.
Superstar Virat Kohli has had a quiet tournament, something that was not expected after her prolific season in the previous IPL.
However, in deliveries where getting over the line has been a challenge, the former Indian captain has not been able to dominate the bowlers despite clear attempts to do so. "He is saving himself for the final," said his opening partner and captain Rohit Sharma, backing an undisputed great of the game who could be playing his last innings in the T20 final.
Rohit, on the other hand, has shown the way to other batsmen in the team and his innings will have enormous importance in the final.
The captain would also like to see Shivam Dube excel in the high-pressure game as he has given mediocre results in the tournament so far. His battles against spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi could have a big impact. On the bowling front, India has nothing to worry about as both the pacers and spinners perform their roles to perfection.
Arriving here just after the semi-final against England leaves them just one day to recover, as has been the case since the start of the Super 8 campaign on this same ground.
South Africa, for its part, had an extra day between the final and will train on Friday. Unlike India, they have nothing to lose since they had never participated in a World Cup final before, but after a resounding victory over Afghanistan in Trinidad, the Proteas are smelling the taste of victory.
They would expect runs from the opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks, especially the goalkeeper who can put a lot of pressure on the opponent when he is in good form. Captain Aiden Markram couldn't fire against the bigger teams in the Super 8s and he is expected to have a big one.
Heinrich Klaasen, one of the most destructive batsmen in the game, also needs runs and for that he will have to negotiate the threat of spin in the mid overs. South Africa's pace has been on fire but it remains to be seen what kind of impact he can have in a day game here. Shamsi and Maharaj are effective, but Indian batsmen will not be wary of them.
There is a good chance of rain on Saturday, but the ICC has set aside a reserve day for the important fixture.
Squads:======
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin , Ryan Rickelton.Game starts: 8 p.m. IST.
