Then there were two. It’s down to this after 54 matches and four weeks. There will be no holds barred as the 2007 winners square off against the inaugural finalists for the ultimate reward in international T20 cricket. India has been an unstoppable force in the T20 World Cup; their latest display of all-around dominance came on Thursday in Providence, when they destroyed the reigning champions England by 68 runs.

South Africa has also had an impressive season, going undefeated in eight games.

The two finest teams compete for first place at the Kensington Oval on Saturday in the fitness of things.

Unknown ground for SA
This is unfamiliar ground for South Africans. Their men’s teams have advanced to many World Cup semi-finals since rejoining the international fold in 1991, but it has taken them 33 years to break the curse of finishing in the final four. They are a tribute to the Aiden Markram style of leadership that has placed them on the brink of history, as they have shown more steel and mental toughness than more renowned Protean ensembles of the past.

India has experienced the heartache of losing in the finals. They have advanced to the championship round twice in the previous twelve and a half months—at the World Test Championship in June and the 50-over World Cup in November—but Australia has defeated them both times. They have successfully combined their innate flair with caution and practical sense under Rohit Sharma, so there’s no reason to think that Saturday won’t mark the end of their 13-year wait for an ICC title.

Man-to-man intellect
The teams are back at the site of the 2007 50-over World Cup final after traveling the length and width of the Caribbean for the Super Eights and semi-finals this past week.

India has only ever played here once, on June 20, against Afghanistan. Since then, they have successfully adjusted to radically different circumstances, but South Africa has been just as brutal in their run to the championship. Nearly every important member of the Indian team has a capable counterpart in the other side: David Miller for Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock for Rishabh Pant, Kagiso Rabada for Jasprit Bumrah, Markram for Rohit Sharma, and Tabraiz Shamsi for Kuldeep Yadav.

Since there isn’t a Virat Kohli comparable among the South African players, maybe that will be the motivation the former captain needs to put a stop to a terrible run and lead his side to victory. Place no wager against it.

The number of times South Africa and India have faced off in T20 World Cup matches is 6. Against the Proteas, the Indians have won four and lost two.

26 T20Is in total South Africa and India have engaged in competitive play. The Proteas won 11 times, India won 14, and one match was called off.