ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Final match: India set 177-run target for South Africa

Bridgetown: In a high-stakes encounter at Kensington Oval, India chose to bat first after winning the toss against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 final.

Led by a stellar innings from Virat Kohli, India posted a challenging total of 176/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Kohli, known for his performance in crucial matches, anchored the innings with a resilient 76 runs off 59 balls, featuring 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. His partnership with Shivam Dube, who contributed quick runs, bolstered India's score.

However, India faced setbacks as opener Rohit Sharma fell early for 9 runs, caught by Heinrich Klaasen off Keshav Maharaj's bowling. Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav followed suit, departing cheaply. Axar Patel played a crucial role with a brisk 47 off 31 balls, including 4 sixes, before being run out.

South Africa's bowling attack, led by Maharaj and Anrich Nortje, applied pressure, but India managed to set a competitive total on a pitch known for its bounce and movement. The match remains finely poised as South Africa prepares to chase a target of 177 runs.

A score of 160 has never been successfully chased on this ground.

Only three teams have managed to successfully chase their targets in their second innings at this venue during the tournament. Both teams remained unchanged from their previous semi-final outings.

This pivotal match marks India's first return to the T20 World Cup final since their 2014 loss to Sri Lanka and offers them a shot at their first ICC trophy in over a decade.

Having narrowly missed out on major titles in recent years, including the World Test Championships in 2021 and 2023 and last year's ODI World Cup, India is under significant pressure to clinch the win.

Conversely, South Africa, often dubbed as "chokers" in cricketing circles due to their history of faltering in crucial matches, has a chance to rewrite their legacy in their first-ever ICC World Cup final appearance.

Earier today, India won the toss and opted to bat first against South Africa. The both sides are quite excited for today's clash. 

ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Final match 

Playing XIs:

India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Heinrich Klaasen 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi/Ottneil Baartman