Sports News: Key Battles & Records: T20 Final, Verma's Feat, Kohli's Defense, Messi & Ronaldo Updates, Djokovic Ready

Key match-ups could be the difference maker ahead of the T20 WC final between India and South Africa. Rohit Sharma is up against Marco Jansen, who may utilise his weakness against left-arm pace. Virat Kohli, currently in poor form, comes up against Kagiso Rabada in what will be a genuine test. On the other hand, an off-colour Keshav Maharaj had an issue with accuracy against an attacking Rishabh Pant. As far as the bowling attack goes, the challenge to the top scorer for SA, a chuffed Quinton de Kock comes in the form of Jasprit Bumrah. Finally, Heinrich Klaasen must get rid of his struggles against spin when facing Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

Chennai: Opener Shafali Verma of the Indian Women's Cricket Team created history by getting the fastest Test cricket double century by any woman in Chennai. She did it against South Africa within 196 balls; the record previously held was by Australia's Annabel Sutherland at 248 deliveries. Following an incredible innings, such as Smriti Mandhana's 149, Shafali anchored back very strongly with the good foundation laid for India. Fifties from Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur further sealed the deal. India had earlier clinched the 3-0 ODI series win against South Africa and are set to play them in three T20Is following this Test.

Virat Kohli is going through a critical slump in form at the T20 WC, having scored only 75 runs in seven innings, immediately after what was otherwise a glittering IPL season in which he got over 700 runs. His poor form has triggered controversy over his opening. Particularly with Yashasvi Jaiswal warming the benches, his place as an opener is under debate. But a battery of legendary India cricketer and present BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to captain Rohit Sharma has come out in his support. They cited examples of his success recently and his worth to the team. Ganguly compared Kohli with greats like Tendulkar and Dravid, asking the fans not to undermine the potential of this young lad in the finals against South Africa.

The final round of T20 World Cup 2024 will be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29 between India and South Africa. These teams remain unbeaten in this marquee event. Rohit Sharma-led India sealed their berth for the summit clash following a convincing win over England, which now opens a window for South Africa to thrash Afghanistan and seal a sport in the final. Well, this will be the very first time in history that South Africa is going to appear in the final for the T20 World Cup. Clearly, in this case, rain looms with an intensity of 72 percent rain chances over this match. The live broadcast of the same will be available on Disney+Hotstar at 8:00 PM IST.

India faces South Africa in the T20 World Cup final at Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Saturday, hoping for a win to end a ten-year title drought. Both teams will take the field undefeated. India's 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad warned that India must not underestimate the debutant finalists who have never made it to an ICC final. Azad has praised the all-round performance that India put in, especially by the bowling unit led by Jasprit Bumrah. He praised Rohit Sharma's leadership and advised that the team should set a stiff target and keep the pressure on the South African team to win the match.

According to the assistant coach Walter Samuel, Argentine star player Lionel Messi sat through his country's final Copa America group match against Peru. Messi picked up the injury—an outcome of muscular tightness in his right adductor—during their recent win against Chile. Though it is still one of those day-to-day cases, he won't play. Assistant coach Walter Samuel believes he can bank on Argentina's depth without Messi, saying that perhaps veteran Angel Di Maria might just start on Saturday. Argentina has already sealed their process to the last eight, and they seek a group top by sending off Peru with either a win or a draw.

Georgian tennis star Nikoloz Basilashvili took a swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday, following Georgia's historic 2-0 win over Portugal in the EURO group stage. The forward played the whole game but was way off his usual standards and took out his frustration after being substituted by kicking a water bottle and picking up a yellow card for his troubles. Basilashvili trolled him on Instagram afterward, asking what his reaction would be if he had not scored. Although this was a losing battle for Portugal, they would still advance into the knockout stage as group winners, with Georgia advancing to the Round of 16 for the very first time in EURO history.

Novak Djokovic declared himself "pain-free" after his 6-4, 6-2 exhibition win over Daniil Medvedev ahead of Wimbledon. The seven-time champion seemed quite satisfied with the way he performed, even as the tape bound his knee. Second-seeded Djokovic believed he was ready for Wimbledon competition after intense rehabilitation following surgery to his knee. He gave huge credit to his surgeon, and, day by day, tried to manage the condition with advice from other athletes who had recovered from similar injuries, like Taylor Fritz and Stan Wawrinka.