When Heinrich Klaasen blasted a superb 52 from 27 balls, it looked as though South Africa, appearing in their first final, were closing in on victory but they were halted by some outstanding Indian bowling and catching at the end. South Africa ended on 169-8 with Hardik Pandya taking 3-20 for India another reminder of his outstanding ability, particularly in 'death bowling'.

With Messi sidelined after complaining of a sore right hamstring, and coach Lionel Scaloni serving a one-game suspension, Argentina made nine changes to their starting XI at the Hard Rock Stadium.

India became the first team to win the title going unbeaten throughout the 20-team tournament in the United States and West Indies.

Bob Woolmer, the late South African coach renowned for his cricketing insights and innovation, once said, “Football is a game of space, whereas cricket is a game of time,” in his book ‘The Art and Science of Cricket’, shedding light on the trials and tribulations a cricketer goes through on the battlefield.

At one point it looked as if the game could be abandoned as English referee Michael Oliver stopped play in the 35th minute and took the teams off the pitch while a violent storm passed overhead.

India captain Rohit Sharma announced he was retiring from T20 international cricket after winning the World Cup in Saturday's final.

India last won a World Cup in 2011 at home under M.S. Dhoni, who earlier led the team to a T20 World Cup trophy in the inaugural edition in 2007.

India's Virat Kohli quit T20 Internationals on Saturday shortly after helping his team beat South Africa in the World Cup final.

Murat Yakin's supremely well-drilled side outplayed the flat two-time winners in the last 16 clash in Berlin and will face England or Slovakia in the next round.

South Africa failed to chase down 30 runs in the last five overs of the match as India clinched a thrilling victory by seven runs in the final of the T20 World Cup at Kensington Oval on Saturday to win their second T20 World Cup title.

Much like in several fixtures in the tournament, rain could play spoilsport in the final as well, with a tropical storm set to sweep across the island on Saturday according to an information statement issued by the Barbados Meteorological Service. According to AccuWeather, showers are expected and will likely delay the toss and interrupt play later. While there is a 50 percent chance of rain in the morning, it is expected to come down to 30 percent come toss time with the probability jumping back to 50 percent in the afternoon.

For only the second time in history, South America's continental championship is being held at venues across the United States this year, offering a taste of what North America can expect when the 2026 World Cup is staged in the region in two years' time.

With the final set to take place at the Kensington Oval in Barbados tonight at 8.30pm, Bangladesh Time, let’s take a look at how the two teams have fared against each other on the biggest stage of T20 International cricket.

Vinicius terrorised Paraguay's defence with his pace and trickery as he scored two goals in an impressive display, a far cry from his performance in Brazil's 0-0 draw with Costa Rica in their opening group stage match, in which he was largely ineffectual.

“A breakout campaign from the young leg-spinner whose 14 wickets left him equal with Rashid,” Cricket Australia said on their website.

“I don't think he can lose two World Cup finals in seven [six] months. He will probably jump into the Barbados ocean if he loses two finals under his captaincy in seven months,” Ganguly told PTI.

"With a quiet prayer on my lips, I hope the team wins it for Rahul Dravid," Saad Majeed, an ardent fan wearing an Indian jersey, told AFP

India head into Saturday's T20 World Cup final against South Africa hoping it will be third time lucky as the cricketing powerhouse looks to deliver a world title after successive defeats in finals.

India will be out to end their global title drought while South Africa will be seeking to bury their 'chokers' tag at Kensington Oval on Saturday when the tournament's two unbeaten sides clash in the Twenty20 World Cup final.

Today's final showdown between India and South Africa in the grand finale of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados will be the ninth final of the showpiece event.