Who: India vs South Africa
Content: T20 World Cup Super Eight
Location: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India
When: Sunday, February 22nd, 7pm (13:30 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 10:30 GMT, ahead of the text commentary stream.
India, the defending champions and co-hosts of the tournament, will begin the Super Eights phase on Sunday against South Africa, whom they defeated in the 2024 final.
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Both teams are seen as heavy favorites to advance through the group stage of the 2026 tournament and at least advance to the semifinals, with the Indians clearly the favorite to hoist the trophy once again.
Al Jazeera Sports presents the most intriguing match-ups between the two favorites to win the tournament so far.
India eyeing South Africa’s top order
India’s bowlers will be looking for early wickets against South Africa, bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Friday.
“I know their top order is giving them momentum. Quinton (de Kock) and Aiden (Markram) up front are in good form and are hitting the ball really well,” said Morkel, a former South African quick bowler.
“We will try our best to get wickets early.”
How did India make it to the T20 World Cup Super Eights?
India stormed through the group and took the lead with four wins from four matches. They got off to a somewhat nervous start against America, but achieved a huge 93-run victory against Namibia.
The game that everyone was watching was the latest pairing against rivals Pakistan, which they won by 61 points, but in the final game the Netherlands fell just 17 points short of their target of 194 points.
How did South Africa reach the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup?
South Africa opened the tournament with a 57-run win against Canada, but needed a super over to seal victory against Afghanistan in the second match.
New Zealand were banged up by the Proteas, who sealed their place in the Super Eights with one game to spare with a seven-wicket win, but then finished the group with a six-wicket win against the UAE.
India expects Abhishek to get back in shape soon.
South Africa, led by Markram, looks strong in every department, but India, the favorites to win the tournament, are lacking in consistency in their batting as their opening pitcher Abhishek Sharma is out of form. But Morkel predicts he’ll be back racing soon.
Morkel said the left-hander, who has three straight ducks, is one inning away from getting back in the zone.
Regarding Abhishek’s yet to score a goal in any match, Morkel said: “That hasn’t been discussed at all within the team group.”
“He’s a world-class player. We’re going into a very important phase of the World Cup and I’m confident he’ll deliver.
“I’m sure he’s hitting the ball into the net.
“It’s just a matter of getting a start and getting the innings going.”
Can South Africa be the team that can stop India in the T20 World Cup?
Morkel admitted that South Africa are one of the favorites for the T20 World Cup so far.
“They’re a confident team,” Morkel said.
“They have players who are in good shape at the top. As far as weaknesses go, there aren’t that many.”
South Africa also showed grit when needed and won after two nerve-wracking super overs against Afghanistan.
“For us, the match on the day will depend on how well we handle the bat and the ball,” said Morkel of defending champion India.
“It’s going to be a game between world-class players. It’s going to be a mouth-watering match.”
What is India’s record in T20 World Cup cricket?
India defeated South Africa in the 2024 edition and are not only the defending champions but also the joint record winners of the T20 World Cup.
India won the first tournament in 2007 by defeating Pakistan in the final, but their second victory in the previous tournament was a long wait.
England and West Indies have also won the tournament twice.
What is South Africa’s record in T20 World Cup cricket?
South Africa are still waiting for their first T20 World Cup title. In fact, the wait continues for Proteas to win a trophy in a major ICC tournament.
They lost to India by seven runs in the 2024 edition, making it their first appearance in a T20 World Cup or 50-over Cricket World Cup final.
South Africa make major T20 changes for future tours
South Africa have made significant changes to their squad ahead of next month’s five-match Twenty20 tour of New Zealand, including five uncapped players, retaining most of the squad that qualified for the Super Eight at the ongoing World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Batsmen Connor Esterhuizen, Diane Forrester and Jordan Harman, all-rounder Ethan Bosch and teenage seamer Nkobani Mokoena are all hoping to make their international debuts on this tour.
Hermann is the younger brother of Rubin, who is also a member of the national team and has won one-day internationals and T20 caps for South Africa, while Bosch is the younger brother of Corbin, who performed well at the World Cup.
The team will be captained by spinner Keshav Maharaj, with returning seamers Gerard Coetzee, Russo Sipamula and Ottneil Baartman.
Three players from the current World Cup squad will be on tour: Maharaj, spinner George Linde and all-rounder Jason Smith.
“This series will take place immediately after the T20 World Cup, so the majority of the team will be returning home. This is a great opportunity for this group of players to step into an international environment and show what they are capable of at this level,” said South Africa coach Shukri Konrad.
The five-game series will be held from March 15th to 25th.
direct confrontation
This will be the 36th meeting between the two teams in a T20 International. India won 21 matches and South Africa won 13 matches, of which one was either a no result or a withdrawal.
Predicted Indian team:
Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
Predicted South African team:
Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Marco Janssen, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj.
