India and South Africa set for high-stakes T20 World Cup final showdown
BARBADOS: India will be out to end their global title drought while South Africa are seeking to bury their ‘chokers’ tag at Kensington Oval on Saturday when the tournament’s two unbeaten sides clash in the Twenty20 World Cup final.
Their blemish-free campaigns and comprehensive victories in the semi-finals leave no doubt that the 20-team tournament’s best two sides have made the final in Bridgetown. A day after South Africa stopped Afghanistan’s fairytale run in the first semi in Trinidad, India ended England’s title defence in Guyana to make their third consecutive final of a global event across all formats.
Skipper Rohit Sharma will hope India, who lost in the finals of the World Test Championship and the 50-overs home World Cup last year, will make it third time lucky. Both Rohit, 37, and stalwart Virat Kohli, 35, are playing what could be their last T20 World Cup, and winning the trophy would be a perfect farewell for them. They appear to have both the game plan and personnel to do just that.
In Aiden Markram, South Africa also have a composed leader who has gone 10 matches unbeaten as captain. “It’s a personal and individual motivation that you get to a final, to earn the opportunity to hopefully lift the trophy,” Markram said.
