🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: S 8 - M43: India vs South Afrika🏏

🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Super 8 - M43: India vs South Afrika🏏

India have raised the T20I bar so high - 12-0 in the T20 World Cup and 45-4 (2 NRs) in bilaterals since the 2024 World Cup - that even an above-par score feels normal and a hundred percent record appears garden variety.

The expectations are so remarkably high that the team is being quizzed for being underwhelming so far in the World Cup show.

"The batting bomb has not exactly exploded," Suryakumar Yadav was told. "We scored 190 (193, in the last match against the Netherlands), what else is needed," the captain reminded one and all on the eve of the Super Eight face-off against South Africa.

The general concerns are not hard to discern - they are largely about Abhishek Sharma, the star batter who is yet to open his account in the World Cup.

The marauder-in-chief, and known for his inimitably swashbuckling batting at the top, has been uncharacteristically silent, having returned three ducks.

"I worry for the people who are worried about Abhishek's form. I worry about them. Last year he covered for us, now we will cover for him," the captain said, giving the young opener his vote of confidence and ruling out any possibility of bringing in Sanju Samson in Abhishek's place for Sunday night's fixture.

The captain has also dismissed any chance of bringing in Samson in place of Tilak Varma, something that was being speculated. Tilak too has not lived up to his explosive reputation, although he has not been as underwhelming as Abhishek has. But Tilak is set to continue at No. 3, although Samson has a good record against South Africa - 253 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 190 with two centuries.

It has suddenly become a pattern for the opposition to open with an off-spinner against India, and the ploy has worked so far, with Salman Ali Agha and Aryan Dutt doing the damage in the first over. Whether South Africa will follow suit by opening with Aiden Markram is a point of interest, although opposition coach Shukri Conrad, South Africans reckon, is a non-conformist and may not necessarily tread the well-traversed path. "I have no clue. In all fairness, don't know, we'll see," Quinton de Kock said, refusing to validate that strategy.

The trick may have worked for Aryan Dutt and Netherlands, but the black-soil pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium, as seen in many IPL games here, assists swing in the first two overs, and Abhishek will likely have more to worry about swing than spin in the opening overs. Although Suryakumar believes it swings in both innings, the movement is more telling in the second.

Under lights, the swing tends to be pronounced in Ahmedabad, a factor Abhishek will have to account for. It often demands a fraction more patience on the ball and can, at times, make hitting square of the wicket a safer percentage option than going straight. When he does step out, deliveries that move away have historically lent themselves to strokes over point rather than mid-off, while those shaping back in are more naturally accessed through mid-wicket or square leg than mid-on.

Head to head, India have a very impressive record against South Africa - 5-2 in the World Cup and 7-2 since that famous final in Barbados. South Africa have enjoyed the advantage of playing all but one of their league games here in Ahmedabad, but the Indian players are well used to the conditions.

These are the two in-form sides of the World Cup, with all-round strength and perfect records in the league stage, and it would not be a surprise if the two sides assemble here again for the March 8 blockbuster - like they did in Barbados a couple of years ago.

When: Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 7 PM local time

Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

What to expect: The two best teams of the World Cup are set to clash in what promises to be a tight contest - if not a high-scoring one. All eyes will be on Abhishek Sharma, who seems due for a big knock, though India possess enough firepower to compensate should he falter, as his skipper has asserted. South Africa, after early hiccups against Afghanistan, seemed to have peaked at the perfect time. All signs point to an exhilarating contest.

Team News

India

Sanju Samson replacing Abhishek Sharma or Tilak Varma can only be a theoretical consideration given Samson's impressive record against South Africa but India are unlikely to tinker with the batting order. Axar Patel, the local boy, is expected to return in place of Washington Sundar, who plays for the local Gujarat Titans side too.

Probable XI: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.

Team News

South Africa

Having tested their bench in the dead rubber against the United Arab Emirates in Delhi on Wednesday, South Africa will likely go back to their first-choice XI. That will mean David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi will return at the expense of Jason Smith, George Linde, Anrich Nortje and Kwena Maphaka. Sunday's black-soil pitch might prompt thoughts of retaining Linde as a second spinner. But given the focus on the perceived weakness of India's left-hander-heavy batting line-up against off-spin, Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs could together bowl what might have been left-armer Linde's four overs.

Probable XI: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.

Did you know?

- India and South Africa are the two most successful teams in T20 World Cups since 2024 with India having a clean 100% record, winning each of their 12 games, while South Africa's only defeat in 13 games came in the final of the 2024 edition against India.

- Tilak Varma (496 runs in 10 innings) was the leading run-getter in both of the last two bilateral series between the two countries.

- Dube's strike rate of 163 is the best among middle-order batters for India post the 2024 T20 World Cup. Dube strikes at 183 against spin in this period and is amongst the best in the world.

- Varun Chakaravarthy (22 wickets in eight games) is the highest wicket-taker against South Africa across the last two series between the sides and was the Player of the Series in the bilateral series last December. He has taken at least two wickets in each of those eight games.

- South Africa are the most explosive team in the Powerplay with the best average and scoring rate in the phase thanks to their openers.

- Markram opened just once in 26 T20Is across 2023 and 2024 combined. Since the 2025 tour to Australia, however, he has opened in 13 of his 16 innings - a shift likely catalyzed by his success at LSG in IPL 2025, where he scored 445 runs and forged a productive opening partnership with Mitchell Marsh.

What they said

"It's going well in the Powerplay. We're making 40-50 runs. That's normal cricket. Now we've played so well in bilaterals. It happens - we have expectations, we also have expectations from ourselves. Expectation is to make 220, 240, 250. But wickets are a little different here. The four wickets we have played on so far were a little different and challenging," said India skipper Suryakumar Yadav.

"We've played a day game and a night game, yeah, so kind of understand the conditions. But I'm saying I don't think it means too much because the Indian teams played here, through IPLs and a lot of them have played their whole career, so I don't think it plays that much of a difference at the end of the day," said South Africa's Quinton de Kock.

India are expected to make one major change in their playing XI for their crucial T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match against South Africa on Sunday. It is the first Super 8 match for both teams, who faced off in the final of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. India captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir are expected to bring back star all-rounder Axar Patel into the playing XI, which would see Washington Sundar sit out.

Axar has been a vital member of India's T20I setup and is likely to return after being rested for India's final Group A match against Netherlands.

A multi-dimensional cricketer capable of doing multiple roles, Axar has shone with the ball so far in the T20 World Cup 2026. He is India's second-highest wicket-taker so far, scalping six wickets in just three games at an excellent economy rate of 6.63.

However, despite star opener Abhishek Sharma registering three ducks in a row, his spot in the playing XI is unlikely to come under threat. Suryakumar Yadav all but dismissed any chance of Sanju Samson entering the lineup at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

"Those who are worried about Abhishek Sharma's form, I am worried about them," Suryakumar said in the press conference.