T20 WC final: India elect to bat first against SA
South Africa and India gear up for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final clash at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. India are in their 3rd T20 World Cup final, having won the trophy in 2007 and finishing runners-up in 2014. South Africa are in their maiden final across ICC World Cups. The news from the stadium is that Rohit Sharma will bat first.
T20 WC 2024: Rohit's toss results
Rohit's toss results: Opted to bowl vs Ireland; lost vs Pakistan; opted to bowl vs USA; opted to bat vs Afghanistan; lost vs Bangladesh; lost vs Australia and lost vs England. Notably, India and Canada's group-stage match was abandoned without toss.
Here is the pitch report
As mentioned, the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, will host this clash on June 29. Pitches at this venue are conducive to spin-bowling as the bounce remains low. Notably, batters have dominated the proceedings here in the ongoing tourney. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on Disney+Hotstar (8:00pm IST).
India's third successive final appearance across ICC events
India will play their third T20 WC final. While they defeated Pakistan in the inaugural edition in 2007 to lift the trophy, the team lost the title clash to Sri Lanka in 2014. Meanwhile, this is also India's third successive appearance in the summit clash of an ICC tournament. They lost the World Test Championship final and ODI World Cup final last year.
Playing XI of the two teams
India playing XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah. South Africa playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
It's important to remain calm, says Rohit
Rohit won the toss and elected to bat. He said it's crucial to remain calm. "We're going to bat first, looks a good pitch. We've played one game here, the scores have been really good. Just about understanding indivdual roles, I know it's a big occassion but it's important to remain calm and play it like it's another international game against a good team."
