Ahmedabad, February 21 – The poor form of opener Abhishek Sharma and sloppy fielding will be under scrutiny as India face South Africa in their first match of the Super8 round of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Abhishek has yet to score a run in the tournament. He began his campaign with a duck against the United States, followed by early dismissals against Pakistan and the Netherlands.
India's fielding woes have continued throughout the tournament. Suryakumar Yadav's team has dropped nine catches in four group-stage matches, which is the second-highest tally among the 20 teams in the competition.
Despite these concerns, India will be entering the contest undefeated in the group stage. They began with a 29-run win over the USA before dismantling Namibia by 93 runs. A 61-run victory against Pakistan demonstrated their dominance, while a 17-run win over the Netherlands in Ahmedabad secured their unbeaten group-stage run.
On the other hand, South Africa were equally clinical in Group D, finishing with four wins and an NRR of 1.943. They opened with a 57-run win over Canada, edged out Afghanistan in a dramatic double Super Over, comfortably chased down New Zealand, and defeated the UAE with ease in their last match.
India have an advantage in the head-to-head record in T20Is, as they have won 21 out of 35 matches played between the two sides. In T20 World Cup history, India have also won five out of seven matches they have played against the Proteas, including the 2024 T20 World Cup final, in which India emerged as the winners.
When: Sunday, February 21, 7:00 PM IST
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
