20 February,2026 09:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Morne Morkel, Abhishek Sharma (Pic: File Pic)
Team India is all set to lock horns with South Africa in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. The match is scheduled to be played on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Ahead of the game, Team India's swashbuckling batsman Abhishek Sharma will be eyeing his first runs in the tournament. Having played three matches, the left-handed batsman has registered three ducks.
Despite a poor run, Team India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has backed the opening batsman by saying he is a world-class player and there have been no discussions about his batting in the dressing room.
"Absolutely no discussion in our team group about that. Abhishek is a world-class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, there have been guys standing up with Abhishek, obviously not scoring the runs he would like," he said.
Further speaking, the coach expressed confidence in Abhishek by saying he is going to deliver and just needs to get that required start.
"But we are going through a very important phase of the World Cup now, and I am pretty sure he's going to deliver. Not so much just for the team, but also for all the viewers watching the game, because he is entertaining, and we love to see that. So, yeah, I am pretty sure he is hitting the ball well in the nets. It is just a matter of getting that started and getting his innings going," said Morkel.
Team India is placed in Group 1 of the Super 8 along with teams South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. After South Africa's clash, the "Men in Blue" will face Zimbabwe on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The clash against the West Indies will be played on March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The title clash of the marquee event is scheduled to be played on March 8, with the venue yet to be decided.
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma.
(With ANI Inputs)
