India vs South Africa Live Score Updates: Live action begins, Rohit – Virat open

India vs South Africa Live Score: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have opened the batting for India at the Kensington Oval stadium in Barbados. Left handed Marco Jansen began the proceedings with the ball for South Africa. Rohit hits the first ball for a single on the leg side. 

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking at the toss, Aiden Markram said, “Yeah, definitely (on batting first) looks pretty dry. Having said that, we get the first crack with the ball, maybe there might be something and if we can put them under pressure early on.”

“At times, probably not been at our best to find a way to win which sort of does a lot for your changes in the energy in the change room. So we take a lot of confidence and belief in that but yeah, today really striving for the perfect game, although perfect, not really attainable, but if we can get close we know we’ll be in really good shape.”

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking at the toss, Rohit said, “It’s about, you know, understanding individual’s role that’s that’s about it. I know it’s a big occasion but it’s important to stay calm and you know, play another game. Like it’s an international game against the top team. You know, we have to keep things under control. And there are ways to do that everyone will have their own way of doing it. That’s been the message just stay calm and composed”

India vs South Africa Live Score: 

India playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

India vs South Africa Live Score: Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first at the Kensington Oval stadium in Barbados. Aiden Markram also stated that he would have liked to bat first at the T20 World Cup final. There are no changes in Playing XI for both the sides. 

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking to ANI, Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach Dinesh Lad said, “The way our players have been performing in the tournament, they will win this World Cup. South Africa is undoubtedly playing well, but being an India I want India to win. Even more, I want to see Rohit holding the cup.”

“Virat is not in form but I have this feeling that he will bat well today,” Lad added.

India vs South Africa Live Score: In a post on X, Kaif wrote, “Regardless of the result today, let’s applaud Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid’s effort. 3 ICC event finals – Tests, ODI and T20 – shows India’s remarkable consistency under them. Bumrah missed WTC, Hardik ODI final, finally India is full strength. Go India Go.”

India vs South Africa Live Score: If rain doesn’t affect play, we will see Rohit Sharma and Aiden Markram making their way to the centre at the Kensington Oval stadium in Barbados. Meanwhile, live action is slated to begin at 8:00pm (Indian time). 

ICC has made the provision of extra 120 minutes in case the game is affected by rain. Furthermore, if the match cannot be completed today, it will be taken to reserve day tomorrow.

India vs South Africa Live Score: BCCI secretary Jay Shah shared his wishes for the Men in Blue hours before the start of play in Barbados. He wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “WE ARE ONE. Wishing #TeamIndia all the very best for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final against South Africa! 🇮🇳🏏 Show your strength, skill, and spirit on the field and bring home the trophy! 🏆💪”

India vs South Africa Live Score: South African skipper while reacting to Virat Kohli’s recent form said, “I don’t think it worries me. He’s a great player, as we all know. But they’ve got their whole batting unit full of great players. And cricket’s a game of ups and downs. You’re not always going to do well, especially as a batter. So, we just do our planning, do our preparation from a meeting point of view for planning towards those batters and hopefully on the day we can get that right,”

India vs South Africa Live Score: With just a couple of hours left before the epic decider on which cricketing giant would lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, legendary South African batter AB de Villiers predicted the Proteas would have a better chance than India.

According to AB de Villiers, a very good friend of Virat Kohli and former Royal Challenger Bengaluru opener, the Proteas have the perfect combination to make history. In contrast, India’s top-class players will make it an epic final, he added.

Taxing to X, AB de Villiers wrote, “My heart says South Africa will win! The Proteas have the perfect combination to make history. India’s top-class players will make it an epic final. Play responsibly, predict your winner on @Wolf7Pay, and enjoy the final!”

India vs South Africa Live Score:  Ahead of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 final match against South Africa, fans across India are performing Bhajan and Aarti to pray to God for India’s victory. If India win today’s match, then the ‘Men in Blue’ would end the 17-year-long dry spell as India won the last T20 World Cup trophy in 2007.

Several cricket fans in Varanasi, Kanpur and other cities are praying for India’s victory in today’s match. A little away from Kanpur, fans in Varanasi performed havan for Team India’s victory in the upcoming final match of the marquee event.

India vs South Africa Live Score: If the Reserve Day is needed to finish an incomplete match, it will follow these rules:

1) The hours of play will be the same as the original match day, including any extra time.

2) Play will resume as if the last ball was bowled on the scheduled day.

What is worrisome for fans is it is expected to rain on June 30 as well. If rain doesn’t allow play on the Reserve Day, India and South Africa will be declared as joint winners.

India vs South Africa Live Score: There is a reserve day in case the match doesn’t take place due to rain. ICC, however, recommends finishing the game on the scheduled day itself even if it means reducing the number of overs.

“If play is interrupted on the scheduled day, the umpires shall use the available extra time and, if necessary, reduce the number of overs to try to achieve a result on that day. In making their decisions in relation to ground, weather and light, the umpires shall aim to maximise play on the scheduled day of the match in order to achieve a result on that day, as if there was no Reserve Day available,” say ICC rules.

The rules also require each team to bat for at least five overs to achieve a result. If play doesn’t resume by the cut-off time to allow this, the match will be abandoned for the day. The Reserve Day will then be used to finish or replay the cricket match.

India vs South Africa Live Score:  Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that India’s weakness in the seam department will come into play at the batsman-friendly conditions in Barbados. Manjrekar stated that while Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel will likely bowl their quota of 4 overs, Ravindra Jadeja might not get that opportunity. 

He told ESPN Cricinfo, “I believe if the pitch turns out very good for batting, if it is a flat deck, it will be difficult to give Jadeja four overs. India will have to turn to Hardik Pandya. That is a bit of a weakness that we saw against Australia,”

“Hardik doing four overs, Arshdeep Singh is, too, coming to terms with his consistency. On flat pitch, seam bowling comes under pressure a bit. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will do four overs, but you can’t trust Jadeja. Hardik Pandya will have to rise to the occasion, Shivam Dube might have to bowl an over or two,” Manjrekar added.

India vs South Africa Live Score: We now have visual confirmation via a video from news agency ANI, which indicates that there are clear skies in Barbados ahead of the start of the final match between India vs South Africa on Saturday.

According to Accuweather, there is a 40% chance of rain during the day while the cloud cover is likely to remain at around 97%.

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “Axar Patel is an incredible guy. I’ve been calling for him to get the attention, importance and acknowledgment he deserves, right from the Pakistan match,” 

“No one will talk about him tomorrow, but ‘Bapu’s’ performance has been outstanding… This Bapu does not believe in ‘Ahimsa paramo dharma (non-violence is the highest moral virtue),” he added.

India vs South Africa Live Score: Thunderstorms and rain started early in the morning in Bridgetown, Barbados. However, no rain is predicted for 4 hours starting from 9 AM. It will start to rain again, as per AccuWeather, at 1 PM but will dry up after a short while. Between 8 PM and 11 PM, there is a chance of rain between 33% and 56%.

There is a reserve day in case the match doesn’t occur due to rain. However, it is expected to rain on June 30 as well.

India vs South Africa Live Score: In a remark quoted by PTI, Ganguly said, “He has played two World Cup finals where he has gone into the final unbeaten. That speaks of his captaincy and leadership quality and I’m not surprised because he became captain when I was the BCCI president and when Virat didn’t want to captain India anymore,” 

“It took a lot of time to make him captain because he was not ready to captain. It took a lot of pushing from all of us to make him captain and I’m very happy to see the progress of Indian cricket under him.” the former India captain added.

India vs South Africa Live Score: India coach Rahul Dravid commented about his experience at the helm so far. He said, “I’ve really enjoyed myself. I think it’s been a great learning experience for me and my family as well. I think everyone’s got invested in the Indian team over the last two and a half years. I certainly have, obviously, being here. But so has my family in each and every result that the Indian team has been part of. So it’s been really nice for me as well to see how my two young boys have taken to it. The kind of people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with, my coaching staff, the people who I’ve worked closely with”,

“I know there have been results and we’ve had some really good results in this time, we’ve had some times where it’s not been that easy. And that’s part and parcel of being a coach and being a cricket team. But for me, I think the fondest memories that I’ll take back is the connections that I’ve built, the friendships that I’ve built. That’ll last long after I forget and remember some of these good results or bad results” Dravid added.

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking at a press conference, Gayle said, “These things happen to superstars or world-class players such as Virat. We know how dominant he has been in previous World Cups. A bat patch, it can happen to anybody. But the good thing about it. He is in the final, and sometimes big players can be called upon and step up and win the actual game for the team as well. So you cannot write off a player like Virat Kohli without a doubt. We know how special he is, so we just have to wait and see what he delivers tomorrow,”

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Markram said, “We all know India’s a great team. Us as a team, as South Africans, have been sort of trending in the right direction the last couple of years, but maybe not progressed in tournaments as far as we would have liked. So, an exciting occasion tomorrow against a good opposition in India, but a nice opportunity for us as the proteas as well,”

“It’s more the opportunity of being in a final that sort of excites me quite a bit. I think after the competition I will sit back and appreciate what we’ve achieved so far as a team. Whether you win or lose, you’ve gone a step further, at least, and for us, that’s again going in the right direction. But yeah, we’d love to get to our first final and be able to win that first final. And hopefully, in the years to come, that can break the burden of what a lot of other people are saying about us as a team,” Markram added.

India vs South Africa Live Score: Weather conditions  in Barbados are reportedly clear ahead of the T20 World Cup final encounter between India and South Africa. Currently, the time in Barbados is close to 5:00am and the match will commence at 10:30 am local time. 

Cricket commentator, Kass Naidoo informed about the situtation in Barbados via a post on X (formerly Twitter). She wrote, “Just gone 5am in Barbados and the day has finally arrived! South Africa versus India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup! Light showers last night but weather is clear to start the day! How are you feeling, SA and India fans?“Just gone 5am in Barbados and the day has finally arrived! South Africa versus India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup! Light showers last night but weather is clear to start the day! How are you feeling, SA and India fans?”

India vs South Africa Live Score: Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has heaped high praise on Suryakumar Yadav’s batting during T20 World Cup 2024. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said, “Suryakumar Yadav is one of the finest T20 batters in the world. He is playing extraordinarily well. But, as usual, our people have been saying about knockout performances and big teams. But, he has put it to bed. The high-quality player that he is, he has shown it with his intent in No. 4,”

Ashwin also talked about how Rahul Dravid has worked hard on changing the approach of the Indian cricket team. He said, “I know what Rahul Dravid has been doing with this team for the past 2-3 years. I know how balanced he has been. I know how hard he has worked to change this approach. I know what he has given each of his players. Even when he is just sitting at home, he has been planning how to do this and that,”

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking in a video posted by ICC

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking in a video posted by ICC, Naseer said, “I have been a fan of Rohit for a very long time, as a batter, as a captain, and as a person. He seems to have a very calming influence. Whereas you had other captains, maybe like Virat, who wore their heart on their sleeves, and they are increadibly passionate. Rohit is like that iron fist in a velvet glove. You do not mess around with Rohit, but he is also a big brother that will put his arm around you and look after you,”

India vs South Africa Live Score: Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has suggested Virat Kohli has a chance to become a World cup hero like MS Dhoni. Kaif stated, “Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out of form in the 2011 ODI World Cup. He played an unbeaten 91-run knock in the final. His six over long-on off Kulasekara, is etched in everybody’s mind. That’s why I think Virat Kohli has a great chance to become a hero,”

“He must forget that he is in poor form. He had hit a century when India last played South Africa in the ODI World Cup at Eden Gardens. He was brilliant that day and played very well, but he wasn’t slogging that day but was playing the ball on merit with proper cricket shots,” 

India vs South Africa Live: Speaking about the form of veteran India batter Virat Kohli, Naseer said,  “I mean you go back to the game against Pakistan at the MCG, India were floundering. Who was there at the end? Smashing. That’s the biggest game of all time for the Indians. India, Pakistan, you know. So he is always there in big matches,”
“I personally and others will disagree because you want to set the tone throughout the team. I personally think Virat Kohli should bat like he’s batted over the last decade. He’s got a strike rate of 138. He can be the glue, the rot, you know, they all bat around, and they all come in playing their shots. You cannot doubt Kohli as a player. You cannot doubt him in a big match. He has suffered because of that New York pitch because he had a brilliant IPL,” Hussain added.

India vs South Africa Live:  Former England Michael Vaughan while asserting that the Men in Blue will go a winning spree if they win the T20 World Cup final wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I feel if India get the job done today they are going to go on a trophy winning spree .. they have so much quality in and out of this squad .. Its been 10 yrs since they won a trophy and this one could lead to quite a few over the next years .”

India vs South Africa Live: Rohit Sharma was quoted as saying by ICC, “We’ve been very calm as a team. We do understand the occasion (in the final), but for us, it’s important to keep calm and composed.”

“That helps us make good decisions. We need to make good decisions through the 40 overs. In this game too, we were steady and calm, and didn’t panic too much. That has been the key for us. Yes, we do understand the occasion is important, but we need to play good cricket as well,” the Indian captain added.

India vs South Africa Live: Amid a bizarre ball-tampering allegation, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq hit back at Rohit Sharma after the latter urged Inzamam to ‘use his brain’.

The following turn of events arrived after Inzaman felt the ball reverse-swinging in the 15th over by Arshdeep Singh against Australia during the Super 8 match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

“We shall definitely use our brains but the first thing is that he (Rohit) admitted that it’s happening. So it means what we observed is correct. Secondly, Rohit does not need to tell us how reverse swing works, under how much sun, on what pitch; you don’t teach something to someone who actually taught it to the world. Tell him it’s not right to say these things,” Inzamam stated.

India vs South Africa Live Score: Star Sports Network will show the India vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2024 final match. You can watch it with English commentary on Star Sports 1 HD and SD channels. For Hindi commentary, tune into Star Sports 3 HD and SD channels.

Those who want to watch the live stream of the cricket match online can do so on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The India vs South Africa T20I match on June 29 will start at 8 PM (India time).

India vs South Africa Live Score: Speaking to Star Sports, the Indian coach said, “You know, I don’t really believe in this ‘Do it for somebody’. I love that quote about somebody asking somebody else, ‘Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?’ and he says ‘I want to climb Mount Everest because it’s there’. I want to win this World Cup because it’s there. It’s not for anyone, it’s not for anybody, it’s just there to win,”