IND Vs RSA Final, ICC T20 World Cup 2024: India's Road To Title Round

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian side have been clinical and has won all the matches in the tournament so far. Similar is the condition of their opponent - South Africa.

The Men In Blue topped Group A in the league stage and were also the table-toppers in Group 1 of the Super Eight stage. They defeated England by a big margin and now they eye for the title win on Saturday to finish the more than decade-long draught of an ICC trophy.

All players have contributed well and the team has been excellent in all three departments - bowling, batting and fielding. Kuldeep Yadav was not part of the playing XI during the USA leg but when he got his chance in the Caribbean, he delivered with his beautiful bowling.

The Indian batting stalwart, Virat Kohli has not looked as good as he was during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, but the team is hopeful of an impactful knock from him in the final. He has made only 75 runs in the tournament with the highest score of 37 runs.

Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh have been accurate and impactful with their seam bowling. Hardik Pandya has also chipped in when needed and his contribution with the bat as well has been remarkable.

Axar Patel showed his all-round skill in the semi-final match against England where he took three wickets and also played a crucial cameo of six-ball 10 runs. He was chosen the Player of the Match (POTM) for his performance in the semi-final. His one-hand catch near the boundary rope to dismiss the Australian captain, Mitch Marsh, can be remarked as the Catch of the Tournament.

The skipper Rohit Sharma has also been brilliant, especially in the later stage of the tournament when the competition became much tougher. His 29 runs including four sixes and a four in Mitchell Starc's over against Australia, was the Moment of the Tournament for India.

All players have contributed up to their potential to help India win the matches. Let's take a look back at the Indian cricket team's journey from the start of the tournament:-

1. IND Vs IRE, Group A

India played against Ireland in their opening fixture of the tournament and won the match comfortably by eight wickets. Opting to field first, India restricted the Irish team to 96 runs in just 16 overs thanks to Jasprit Bumrah's lethal bowling. He was given the POTM for his bowling figures of 3-1-6-2. India successfully chased down the target in 12.2 over with Rohit Sharma hitting a half-century.

2. IND Vs PAK, Group A

The next match was against Pakistan and with the help of Jasprit Bumrah & Co., India managed a narrow win by six runs over the arch-rivals. Batting first, Men In Blue were bundled out to 119/10 in 19 overs. Rishabh Pant was the highest scorer with 42 runs off 31 balls. Bumrah's 4-0-14-3 and Hardik Pandya's 4-0-24-2 kept Indian hopes alive and helped India win a thrilling contest.

3. IND Vs USA, Group A

India opted to bowl first against the co-hosts and restricted them to 110/8 after 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh took four wickets conceding just nine runs. After a shaky start to the chase, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube rebuilt the inning and stitched an unbeaten partnership of 72 runs to win the match.

4. IND Vs CAN, Group A

India's fourth group-stage match against Canada was washed out due to persistent rain and wet outfield. The match was abandoned without the toss and both teams shared a point each. India and the USA qualified for the Super Eight stage by being number one and two respectively in the group.

5. IND Vs AFG, Super 8, Group 1

India faced Afghanistan in their first Super Eight match of Group 1 and registered a big win by 47 runs. Men In Blue batted first and put 181 runs on the board after 20 overs after Suryakumar Yadav's dashing fifty and Hardik Pandya's crucial cameo of 32 runs at the end. Indian bowlers never let any batter settle in the match and bowled them out for 134 runs. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh shared three wickets each.

6. IND Vs BAN, Super 8, Group 1

India locked horns with neighbours Bangladesh in their next Super Eight match and won the match easily by 50 runs. India were asked to bat first and they all managed to post 196/5 with a combined effort from all the batters. Hardik Pandya made 50 runs not out off 27 balls. Indian bowlers halted Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side to 146/8 after 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets whereas Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh shared two wickets each.

7. IND Vs AUS, Super 8, Group 1

India faced Australia in their last Super Eight match and beat them by 24 runs to dash their semi-final hopes. Batting first, India were struck by the early wicket of Virat Kohli but Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav took the game away from the Aussie with attacking strike play. Sharma's 92 off 41 balls helped India set a 206-run target for Australia. Travis Head made 76 runs off 43 balls to keep Australia in the run, but the target proved to be too big to achieve. Finally, Australia managed to make only 181/7 in 20 overs.

8. IND Vs ENG, Semi Final 2

The second semi-final was played between India and England at Guyana's Providence Stadium. Rain delayed the start and also interrupted the match, but that didn't break the rhythm of the Indian team as they set a 172-run target for England after being invited to bat first on a pitch where the ball was staying low and batting was very tough. Sharma and SKY played knocks of 57 runs off 39 balls and 47 runs off 36 balls respectively to take India to a respectable total. Indian spinners, especially Axar Patel completely rattled the English top batting order. Patel and Kuldeep shared three wickets each in the match whereas Jasprit Bumrah also took a couple of wickets.

With their biggest win of the tournament (by 68 runs), India set a meeting with South Africa for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final on Saturday. Both teams will be up against each other for the first time in the tournament and both teams have been unbeaten. The stage for an epic final clash is set.

As India prepares to face South Africa in the final, the team is confident but not complacent. The Proteas, with their strong bowling attack and explosive batting, will be a formidable opponent. However, India's momentum and team cohesion make them the favourites to lift the trophy after 17 years of wait.