New Delhi, February 21 – Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri believes that the defending champions have their best playing XI, and there will likely be no changes to the team sheet when India face South Africa in their first match of the Super 8s in the 2026 T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
India made two changes to the team when they played against the Netherlands in their last group stage match. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav replaced Arshdeep Singh, while Axar Patel was rested to give all-rounder Washington Sundar some playing time. According to Shastri, the only dilemma the team will face is whether to play Axar or Sundar.
“I think it will be pretty much the same side because you have depth, you have covered all bases, you have options,” Shastri told The ICC Review.
“When there's dew around, you need that extra bowling option. Whether it's Shivam Dube, whether it's Hardik bowling his full quota of overs, whether it's Tilak Varma who might bowl for an over or two, you need those options. I don't think they'll tinker with the side. I think the team that played in the last game was a good team," he added.
Shastri also expressed his support for Abhishek Sharma, who has yet to score a run in the ongoing tournament. Abhishek has scored three ducks, but Shastri sees this as a positive and believes that the top T20I batter will score runs in the later stages of the tournament.
“I think the positive is that in every game, there's been someone who stood up. It has been Ishan Kishan, sometimes Surya, in the first game. Tilak Varma has played his part. He's got off to a start, but I still think the best of him is still to come. I look at it as a positive that Abhishek Sharma has three zeros. So save your best for the important periods in the tournament. Teams will be a little worried that he's not got runs," he said.
Shastri also praised the South Africa team for their self-belief and feels that there will be a close contest when they clash against India.
“There's a lot of self-belief and you know it's going to be a cracking contest because South Africa are no pushovers, they'll compete for sure. And it's a repeat of the 2024 World Cup final, so everyone's looking forward to it,” Shastri said.
Both India and South Africa are coming into the match after finishing on top of their respective groups in the first round.
