Picking a combined India-South Africa playing 11 ahead of 2024 T20 World Cup final ft. Suryakumar Yadav, Tabraiz Shamsi

India will be up against South Africa in the ICC Men's 2024 T20 World Cup final, which will be played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday, June 29. Both the Men in Blue as well as the Proteas are unbeaten in the tournament. While South Africa have registered eight wins in a row, India have seven wins to their name, while one of their group games was washed out.

Team India sealed their place in the summit clash of the 2024 T20 World Cup by getting the better of England by 68 runs in the second semifinal in Guyana. Batting first, India put up 171-7 on the board and then held the Englishmen to 103. South Africa had it all too easy against Afghanistan in the first semifinal in Trinidad. They bowled out the opposition for 56 and chased the total in 8.5 overs.

If we look at the head-to-head record of the two sides in the T20 World Cup, they have played six matches, with India winning four and South Africa two. Ahead of the grand final in Barbados, we pick a combined XI of the two sides.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk)

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma would be one of the openers in the combined India-South Africa XI. He would also lead the side. Rohit is India's leading run-getter in the tournament, and the third-highest run-getter overall. In seven innings, he has 248 runs to his name at a strike rate of 155.97. The 37-year-old struck a brillant 92 against Australia and scored a crucial 57 against England in the semifinal.

South Africa's Quinton de Kock would be Rohit's opening partner in the combined XI. He would also be the keeper-batter in the side. De Kock is Proteas' leading run-getter in the 2024 T20 World Cup. In eight innings, he has 204 runs to his name at a strike rate of 143.66, with two half-centuries. The 31-year-old scored 74 off 40 against United States and smacked 65 off 38 against England.

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Middle-order & All-rounders: Suryakumar Yadav, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel

Axar Patel (right) with Rohit Sharma (Image Credit: Getty Images)

Suryakumar Yadav has been excellent for India in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He has proved his versatility by adjusting to the conditions. In seven innings, Suryakumar has 196 runs to his name at a strike rate of 137.06, with two half-centuries. The swashbuckling batter scored a crucial 31 off 16 balls against Australia and contributed 47 off 36 in the semifinal against England.

Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller would be South Africa's middle-order representatives in the middle-order. Neither has set the stage on fire completely, but they have made some crucial contributions and, with their experience, would be expected to come good in the final.

Klaasen has 138 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 112.19. He hit a quick-fire 22 of 10 against West Indies in the Super 8 match. As for Miller, he has 148 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 100. The left-hander scored a vital 43 off 28 balls against England in the Super 8 clash in St Lucia.

The Indian duo of Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel would be the all-rounders in the combined XI for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Overcoming his poor IPL form, Pandya has made significant contributions with both bat and ball. With the willow, he has 139 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 149.46. With the ball, Pandya has picked up eight wickets at an average of 21.37 and an economy rate of 7.77.

Axar has done a terrific job for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup, especially with the ball in hand. He was the Player of the Match for his superb three-wicket haul in the semifinal against England. Overall, Axar has claimed eight wickets in seven innings at an average of 15.50 and an economy rate of 6.88. He has also chipped in with crucial cameos with the bat in the death overs.

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Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Tabraiz Shamsi

Kagiso Rabada has excelled with the ball for South Africa. (Image Credit: Getty Images)

The selection of bowlers in the combined India-South Africa XI was a tough job as there were a number of contenders for the four slots. In the end, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah made it ahead of Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen and Arshdeep Singh.

Rabada has 12 scalps from eight innings at an excellent economy rate of 5.88, while Shamsi has claimed 11 wickets in four innings at an average of 9.27 and an economy rate of 7.37. Both have the capability to win matches on their own.

Shifting attention to the Indians in the combined XI for the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bumrah has been absolutely outstanding. In seven innings, he has 13 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of 4.12. Kuldeep came into the playing XI during the Super 8 round. In four innings, he has already claimed 10 wickets at an average of 9.40 and an economy rate of 5.87.