Two unbeaten giants collide in Ahmedabad blockbuster

India have set an exceptionally high bar in T20Is—unbeaten in 12 T20 World Cup matches and dominant in bilateral series since the 2024 World Cup. Despite this, there's a sense the batting unit hasn't fully ignited in the tournament so far.

When asked if the "batting bomb has not exactly exploded," captain Suryakumar Yadav pointed to their 193-run total against the Netherlands, questioning what more is expected.

A primary concern has been opener Abhishek Sharma, who has registered three ducks in the World Cup. Suryakumar dismissed worries over his form, stating, "I worry for the people who are worried about Abhishek's form… Last year he covered for us, now we will cover for him." He confirmed Abhishek will retain his spot, ruling out Sanju Samson's inclusion.

Samson also won't replace Tilak Varma at No. 3, despite Samson's strong record against South Africa. Tilak has underperformed relative to his explosive reputation but is set to continue.

Opposition teams have recently opened with off-spin against India, a tactic successfully used by Pakistan and the Netherlands. Whether South Africa will employ Aiden Markram similarly is uncertain. Quinton de Kock offered no clues, saying, "I have no clue. In all fairness, don't know, we'll see."

However, conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium may influence this. The black-soil pitch often assists swing, especially under lights in the second innings, which could be a more immediate challenge for Abhishek than spin early on.

Historically, India hold a strong record against South Africa. Both teams enter this Super Eight clash with perfect group-stage records and are considered the tournament's most in-form sides, setting the stage for a potential final rematch from Barbados.

When: Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 7 PM local time
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

What to expect: A tight contest between the tournament's two best teams. Focus will be on Abhishek Sharma, though India have the depth to compensate if he struggles. South Africa appear to have peaked at the right time after early tournament hiccups. India are unlikely to tinker with their batting order, but Axar Patel is expected to return, replacing Washington Sundar.

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

South Africa 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.

Key Stats:

• India have won all 12 of their T20 World Cup matches since 2024; South Africa's only loss in 13 games was the 2024 final to India.
• Tilak Varma was the leading run-scorer in the last two bilateral series between the sides.
• Shivam Dube has the best strike rate (163) among India's middle-order batters post the 2024 T20 World Cup.
• Varun Chakaravarthy is the highest wicket-taker against South Africa across recent series, taking at least two wickets in each of his last eight games against them.
• South Africa have the most explosive Powerplay batting, with the best average and scoring rate in the phase.
• Aiden Markram has opened in 13 of his last 16 T20I innings, a shift influenced by his success as an opener for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025.

Quotes:

"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." — Suryakumar Yadav, India captain.

"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." — Quinton de Kock, South Africa wicketkeeper-batter.