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Former Indian cricketer Sarandeep Singh believes India's bowling attack holds the key to victory in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa. Sarandeep highlights the exceptional form of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, calling them "unplayable" and predicting they will dismantle the South African batting line-up.
Sarandeep is particularly impressed by the wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav (10 wickets) and the left-arm orthodox bowling of Axar Patel (8 wickets). He sees them as the X-factor for India, especially on spin-friendly pitches like the one in Bridgetown, Barbados.
"Kuldeep and Axar are complementing each other so well," Singh observes. "They are outright match-winners in spin-friendly conditions. Look at the way they came in and won games against Australia and England."
Sarandeep feels both Kuldeep and Axar pose significant threats to the South African batsmen. He highlights Kuldeep's success against Australia and England in the earlier stages of the tournament and predicts similar dominance in the final. Axar's ability to control the middle overs is also seen as a major advantage for India.
Sarandeep emphasizes the advantage Indian spinners hold due to the pitch conditions in the Caribbean. "The wickets in West Indies are not easy to play, especially against world-class spinners," he says. He believes the South Africans will struggle against the quality of Indian spin bowling, similar to England's struggles in the semi-final.
While acknowledging the importance of spin, Sarandeep also recognizes India's overall batting strength. He points to the presence of left-handed batsmen like Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja, who can potentially counter the South African spin attack of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi.
Sarandeep confidently declares India the favorites for the final, crediting their balanced bowling attack led by the pace of Jasprit Bumrah (exceptional economy rate) and the guile of the spin duo.