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Team India will look to win their first T20 World Cup trophy since the inaugural edition when they battle it out against South Africa in the final on Saturday, June 29. While the Men in Blue are unbeaten so far in the competition, they will need to be calm and composed in a high-pressure knockout game.
On November 19, 2023, India entered the final of an ICC event as the favorites. However, it all unraveled in front of a record crowd as Australia held their nerve to come out on top and break a billion hearts.
This time, too, Rohit Sharma and Co. are the oddmakers' chosen ones heading into the summit clash. And it's safe to say that their case for ending up with the trophy is even stronger.
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Here are three reasons why India are the favorites to win the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
#3 South Africa have barely scraped through most of the time
South Africa are still unbeaten in the 2024 T20 World Cup, but their route to the final hasn't been straightforward. Barring their hammering of Afghanistan on a terrible pitch in the semifinal, the Proteas have had to rely on fortune to get to the winning side.
South Africa took 16.2 overs to chase down 78 in their opening game against Sri Lanka. They then survived close shaves against the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Nepal to round off the group stage. Aiden Markram and Co. could've easily lost any of those clashes.
South Africa's Super 8 wins were also by narrow margins - 18 runs, seven runs, and three wickets respectively. To put it simply, India are the favorites because their opponents haven't played like favorites.
#2 Batting depth approach has worked well for the side in the 2024 T20 World Cup
India have chosen to adopt a batting-heavy approach in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and that has worked out well for them. With Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel at Nos. 7 and 8, the batters in the top and middle order have been given the freedom to express themselves.
This isn't something South Africa have to this extent. Marco Jansen is at No. 7, and while Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada aren't hopeless with the bat, they aren't reliable No. 8 batters either.
India benefited from this in the semifinal, where they were able to play positively and get to an above-par score. The same strategy could prove match-winning in the final.
#1 India have eight world-class overs of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav
The biggest difference between India and South Africa, who are evenly matched in other departments, is that the former have two world-class bowlers in their ranks. Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav guarantee eight overs of economical bowling and penetration, which isn't something Markram has the luxury of among his resources.
Bumrah has picked up 13 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 4.12, while Kuldeep has 10 scalps to his name in just four outings at 5.87. Both bowlers have barely any negative matchups in international cricket, let alone in the South African team.
Bumrah and Kuldeep's overs could be the fine margins between the two sides on Saturday.
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