T20 World Cup Final, India vs South Africa: Fantasy 11 Prediction, teams, captain, vice-captain, toss and venue analysis

They are the two best teams of the tournament. They are the only two teams who haven't lost a single match in this World Cup. It is crunch time. It does not get bigger than this! It is the World Cup final and it is E at the historic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown in Barbados on Saturday. South Africa are playing their first World Cup final, while India has not won an ICC world event since the Champions Trophy in 2013. It might be the last time we see two of their greatest batters ever in an ICC event. Can India break the 11-year-old jinx? Or will South Africa create history?

Both teams have not lost a single encounter in the tournament. South Africa have been victorious in all their encounters while India, with the exception of the rained-out match against Canada, have also won all their matches. It is the first time in T20 World Cup history that two teams who have remained unbeaten through the tournament, will be meeting in the final.

India will be playing their third T20 World Cup final - they won the inaugural edition in 2007 and were runners-up in 2014 when they were beaten by Sri Lanka. South Africa will be playing their first T20 World Cup final.

LAST 5 MATCHES

*A-Abandoned

THE LIKELY PLAYING XIs FOR INDIA & SOUTH AFRICA

Both teams are likely to retain their winning XIs. Although there is a case for India to rope in Jaiswal and push an out of form Kohli to number 3 - but they will not change their winning combination. South Africa are also likely to go with the same team.

Also read England Women vs New Zealand Women: Fantasy XI Prediction, teams, captain, vice-captain, toss and venue analysis

South Africa likely XI

Batters - Heinrich Klaasen, Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller

All-Rounders - Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram

Wicketkeeper - Quinton de Kock

Bowlers - Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj

India likely XI

Batters - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav

All-Rounders - Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube

Wicketkeeper - Rishabh Pant

Bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

Statistical Performance (India)

1. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets in the semi-final against England and has been in good form in this tournament. He will be key for India in the middle overs. Kuldeep has an exceptional record in T20I cricket with a tally of 69 wickets in 38 innings at an average of 13.42 and strike rate of 12.1.

KULDEEP YADAV IN 2024 T20 WORLD CUP

2. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has raised his game in the last couple of matches and will be key for India at the top of the order in the powerplay. Rohit has a great record in T20Is and is one of the greatest batters in the format's history. He is the highest scorer for India in the tournament.

ROHIT SHARMA IN 2024 T20 WORLD CUP

Players who can make a Difference (India)

1. Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah has been in brilliant form with the ball in this World Cup and has returned with 13 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 8.15 and economy of 4.12. He will be key for India with the new ball. Bumrah has an economy of 3.75 in the powerplay in the tournament.

2. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has rediscovered his hitting range and will be the danger-man in the lower-order for India. He will provide the impetus at the end of the innings and has a strike rate of close to 150 in the tournament. Hardik has also produced a few cameos in this World Cup. He smashed 50 off just 27 deliveries against Bangladesh.

Also read Sri Lanka Women vs West Indies Women 3rd T20I: Fantasy XI prediction, teams, captain, vice-captain, toss, venue analysis

Statistical Performance (South Africa)

1. Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje has been in red-hot form in the tournament and is the leading wicket-taker for South Africa with 13 dismissals at an average of 13.46 and economy of 5.64. He will be devastating on the pace-friendly wicket at Barbados.

ANRICH NORTJE IN 2024 T20 WORLD CUP

2. Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock is not only the leading run-getter for South Africa in the World Cup but also the batter with the highest strike rate. QDK will take the attack to the Indian bowlers in the powerplay.

QUINTON DE KOCK IN 2024 T20 WORLD CUP

Players who can make a Difference (South Africa)

1. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada will be a handful with the new ball for South Africa. He has been in fine form in the tournament and has bagged 12 wickets at an average of 13.25 and economy of 5.88. Rabada has a good record in World Cup cricket.

2. Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen is an excellent player of spin and one of the most destructive finishers in white-ball cricket in the world. Klaasen has had a quiet tournament and will be raring to go in the final.

INDIA v SOUTH AFRICA - HEAD TO HEAD RECORD

India hold the edge in the head to head rivalry against South Africa. The two teams have played in 26 T20I matches with India winning 14. The record is neck to neck since 2022 with both teams winning 5 games each. India dominate the record in the T20 World Cup winning 4 of the 6 encounters between the two teams. However, South Africa defeated India by 5 wickets in the last T20 World Cup match between the two teams at Perth in 2022.

Player Match-Ups

1. ROHIT SHARMA vs KAGISO RABADA IN T20Is

INNINGS - 8

BALLS FACED - 49

RUNS SCORED - 52

WICKETS - 2

2. SURYAKUMAR YADAV vs KESHAV MAHARAJ IN T20s

INNINGS - 5

BALLS FACED - 43

RUNS SCORED - 69

WICKETS - 0

3. QUINTON DE KOCK vs ARSHDEEP SINGH IN T20s

INNINGS - 7

BALLS FACED - 32

RUNS SCORED - 31

WICKETS - 3

4. HEINRICH KLAASEN vs JADEJA + AXAR + KULDEEP IN T20s

INNINGS - 15

BALLS FACED - 68

RUNS SCORED - 102

WICKETS - 1

Venue and Pitch

The historic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados has hosted eight matches in this tournament with the honours are shared between the team batting first and chasing - both have won three games each. The venue has witnessed a tied encounter - between Oman and Namibia while the match between Scotland and England was called off due to rain. Captains have preferred to chase after winning the toss at Barbados - in 8 matches they have opted to bat second on 5 occasions!

The average score batting first in Barbados in the tournament is 150/8 whereas the average second innings score is 134/5. The highest score at the venue is Australia's 201 vs England - it is the only time when 200 was crossed in the tournament at Bridgetown! The lowest team total in Barbados in the 2024 T20 World Cup is 109. The probability of winning the match after winning the toss is 42.9% at Barbados.

The pitch in Barbados will assist the pacers as it has historically. Fast bowlers have picked nearly 70% wickets at an average of 19.7, strike rate of 15.2 and economy of 7.8 in Bridgetown. While the mean temperature in Barbados on Saturday will be 28 degrees, there is a 70% chance of showers.

Match Prediction

The final will essentially be a clash between India's batting and South Africa's fast bowling unit. Rohit Sharma's battle against Nortje, Jansen and Rabada will be crucial in the powerplay. Bumrah will be key with the new ball for India. For South Africa, Quinton de Kock is crucial at the top of the order whereas the middle-order will have Stubbs and Klaasen as the destructive game-changers. Based on the relative strength of both teams and the conditions which favour fast bowling, South Africa start marginal favourites with a 52% chance of victory.

Fantasy XI

We have 6 players from India and 5 from South Africa. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will be the openers while the middle order will comprise of Miller, SKY and Stubbs. The new ball will be shared by Bumrah and Nortje whereas the middle overs will be controlled by Kuldeep and Axar Patel.

Our backup players include Virat Kohli as batter, Kagiso Rabada as bowler and Aiden Markram as all-rounder.

The captain of the fantasy team is Marco Jansen and the vice-captain is Jasprit Bumrah.

Fantasy XI

Wicketkeeper: QUINTON DE KOCK

Batters: ROHIT SHARMA, TRISTAN STUBBS, DAVID MILLER, SURYAKUMAR YADAV

All-rounders: HARDIK PANDYA, AXAR PATEL, MARCO JANSEN (C)

Bowlers: JASPRIT BUMRAH (VC), KULDEEP YADAV, ANRICH NORTJE

BACKUP PLAYERS:

BATTER - VIRAT KOHLI

BOWLER - KAGISO RABADA

ALL-ROUNDER - AIDEN MARKRAM