It will be the seventh time, India and South Africa take on each other in the history of the Men’s T20 World Cup, between the Indian team are ahead with a 4-2 margin. The only two times, the Proteas got the better of the Indian team, it was the 2022 and 2009 seasons. The SA vs Ind final of this edition of the tournament will be another stage where both the teams can aim for glory.
When a good start with the bat in the middle overs (7-15), it becomes vital for the teams to keep on going the good work in the middle phase of the innings, where they could look to smash the spinners from the start and get a bit aggressive with run-scoring, to get ahead in the game before the death overs.
Going into the SA vs Ind affair, before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian team has managed to score 462 T20I runs in seven innings, at an average of 27.18, which is quite a decent record, compared to how the tournament has favored bowlers, with the pitches being slow and low.
The strike rate of the blue brigade is just under 130, and that actually offers them a chance to nail those big boundaries and sixes to get the required momentum in the contest. The 2007 champions, before the SA vs Ind encounter, have lost 17 wickets in those seven innings while gathering 35 boundaries and 24 sixes, which is such a fine record to have.
The South Africa team, they have done a pretty good job, in this department, nailing 401 runs in eight innings, at an average of just under 30. The strike rate is something that they could look to develop going into the knockout final game of the tournament, as their 101.52 rate in the middle stage of the innings, isn’t quite healthy irrespective of the pitch they are playing.
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They have lost 14 wickets in the period, which has put breaks in their game for so many moments. The 2014 semifinalists have drilled 30 boundaries and 12 sixes so far in the tournament in this middle overs, before the SA vs Ind affair.
But one thing the Proteas have to be careful of is that the Indian team is well equipped with all-round bowling, and they can’t just think of depending on one certain bowler, because that would put so much pressure on them going into the death overs, against Jasprit Bumrah and co.
SA vs IND Head-to-Head Records
When it comes to facing each other in the T20I format, the Indian team is ahead with a 14-11 margin, with one game ending in a washout fixture.
SA vs IND Last Encounter in T20Is
The last time, these two teams faced each other, was in 2023. India, batting first, put on 201/7 in their allotted 20-overs, thanks to the century of 56 balls by Suryakumar Yadav, while Yashasvi Jaiswal managed a 41-ball 60-run knock. In reply, the whole South Africa unit was bundled out for 95, as Kuldeep Yadav finished with a magical spell of 5/17 in 2.5 overs.
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SA vs IND Standout Performers
Most runs for India: Rohit Sharma (420 runs)
Most runs for South Africa: David Miller (431 runs)
Most wickets for India: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (14 wickets)
Most wickets for South Africa: Lungi Ngidi (10 wickets)
Key Match-ups Between India and South Africa Players
- Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Virat Kohli thrice in T20s, giving away 36 runs in 32 balls.
- Rohit Sharma has managed only 52 T20I runs against Rabada in 49 balls, besides getting out twice.
- Kohli has smashed Anrich Nortje for 17 T20I runs in 16 balls, besides getting out only once.
