Unbeaten South Africa start firm favourites
India have a tough task in trying to end South Africa's unbeaten run
Ashwin Achal
31-Jul-2009
India will need the in-form Virat Kohli to fire in the final against South Africa • ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Match facts
Saturday August 1, 2009
Start time 9am (23:00 GMT)
Saturday August 1, 2009
Start time 9am (23:00 GMT)
Big Picture
South Africa Emerging Players, who have won all eight matches - six 50-over games and two Twenty20s - will start clear favourites against India, who pipped Australia to the final after a victory over New Zealand in the last league match.
South Africa Emerging Players, who have won all eight matches - six 50-over games and two Twenty20s - will start clear favourites against India, who pipped Australia to the final after a victory over New Zealand in the last league match.
India have been inconsistent in the tournament, winning and losing four matches. They've won as many 50-over matches as Australia, and made it to the final only because they won one out of two Twenty20 games while Australia lost both. India will be encouraged, though, by the fact that they ran South Africa close in both the games in the tournament, losing by in ten runs and four wickets.
South Africa have an enviable record in the tournament, and the key has been the contribution of several players. There is no stand-out star with the bat for South Africa, but four of their batsmen have scored more than 150 runs.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa - WWWWW
India - WWLLW
(last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa - WWWWW
India - WWLLW
Watch out for..
Virat Kohli: Kohli has been in tremendous form, and is the third highest run-scorer of the series with 294 runs in six one-day matches. He has already scored a century and two fifties in six innings. In the crucial last league tie against New Zealand, Kohli hit a hurricane 92 from 86 balls to clinch victory while chasing a tricky target of 247.
Virat Kohli: Kohli has been in tremendous form, and is the third highest run-scorer of the series with 294 runs in six one-day matches. He has already scored a century and two fifties in six innings. In the crucial last league tie against New Zealand, Kohli hit a hurricane 92 from 86 balls to clinch victory while chasing a tricky target of 247.
CJD de Villiers: The right-arm fast bowler has played four of the six one-day matches, but has made a big impact. He has raced to second on the wicket-takers list with nine, at an average of 13.33 and a miserly economy rate of 3.42 runs an over. de Villiers was the destroyer-in-chief in South Africa's massive 183-run win over Australia Institute of Sports, picking up figures of 5 for 15 in six overs.
Team news
South Africa might bring back middle-order batsman Stiaan van Zyl, while India will look to retain the same XI which won against New Zealand on Thursday. Murali Vijay, another India international, is set to remain on the bench, with the current opening partnership of Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli going great guns.
South Africa: (likely) 1 Henry Davids, 2 Heino Kuhn (wk), 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Vaughn Van Jaardsveld (capt), 5 Stiaan van Zyl, 6 Dean Elgar, 7 Reeza Hendricks, 8 Daryn Smit, 9 CJD de Villiers, 10 Thandi Tshabalala, 11 Juan Theron, 12 Craig Alexander.
India: (likely) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Naman Ojha, 4 S Badrinath (capt), 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Pradeep Sangwan, 11 R Ashwin, 12 Sudeep Tyagi.
Stats
- India's two most prolific batsmen have been Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli, who are second and third on the top run-scorers list of the torunament
Ashwin Achal is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo