South Africa’s bowlers made early inroads in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, removing India’s key batsmen Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav within the first five overs. This crucial breakthrough allowed South Africa to control the middle stages of India’s innings, with India’s star batter Virat Kohli playing a cautious knock to anchor the innings.
Kohli, who faced 26 balls during the middle overs, managed just 23 runs without hitting a boundary. According to statistics guru Sampath Bandarupalli, this is a rare feat for an Indian batter in the middle overs of a T20I. Only Bhuvneshwar Kumar has previously faced 25 or more balls in the middle overs without hitting a boundary, scoring 14 off 29 against Sri Lanka in 2021.
Despite the sluggish middle phase, India broke free in the death overs, adding 42 runs in the last three overs. Virat Kohli, who had been biding his time, finally accelerated to give India a competitive total to defend. This late surge was crucial, as it provided a defendable target for the Indian bowlers on a pitch that seemed to favor spin.
Sachin Tendulkar praises India’s batting efforts
Sachin Tendulkar praised the contributions of several Indian players during the match, highlighting their pivotal roles in maintaining the team’s momentum. He started by acknowledging Axar Patel’s (@akshar2026) impressive all-round performance. Tendulkar noted Axar’s match-winning catch against Australia and his excellent bowling display in the semi-finals, emphasizing how these contributions were crucial to India’s progress. Additionally, he commended Axar’s fine knock in this game, which played a significant part in keeping the team’s momentum going.
Tendulkar also discussed Virat Kohli’s (@imVkohli) strategic approach to his innings. He observed that while some players accelerate their scoring at the start of their innings and others towards the end, Kohli paced his innings well throughout. Kohli’s ability to stitch important partnerships was crucial, especially his collaborations with Axar Patel and Shivam Dube (@IamShivamDube). Tendulkar specifically mentioned Dube’s solid cameo towards the end of the innings, which helped bolster India’s total.
Reflecting on the pitch conditions, Tendulkar remarked that the current pitch was better for batting compared to the one in Guyana. Given the competitive total India managed to put on the board, he anticipated an exciting second innings, with a keen interest in seeing how South Africa would respond.
India’s spinners are expected to benefit from the pitch conditions at the Kensington Oval, which have historically been conducive to slower bowlers. However, India’s quicks may need to adjust their lengths, potentially bowling shorter to exploit any uneven bounce.
South Africa, having kept India in check for most of the innings, now face the task of chasing the highest successful total in 18 day games at the Kensington Oval. Their bowlers did an excellent job early on, but the late flurry of runs by India has set up a challenging target.
Aiden Markram, South Africa’s captain, and his team will need to produce a disciplined batting performance to clinch their first-ever T20 World Cup title. South Africa’s lineup, featuring power hitters like Quinton de Kock and David Miller, is well-equipped to handle the chase, but they will need to manage the pressure of a World Cup final.
The stage is set for an exciting finish, with both teams eager to lift the coveted trophy. The cricketing world watches with bated breath as South Africa aims to rewrite history and India looks to add another T20 World Cup title to their illustrious record.
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