South Africa will enter the clash with four major changes. David Miller will come in place of Jason Smith, Kwena Maphaka will make way for Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj has replaced George Linde for the clash, and Lungi Ngidi will feature in the match by replacing Anrich Nortje
Aiden Markram (Pic: X/@ProteasMenCSA)
In the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Team India, South Africa skipper Aiden Markram has won the toss and elected to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
South Africa will enter the clash with four major changes. David Miller will come in place of Jason Smith, Kwena Maphaka will make way for Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj has replaced George Linde for the clash, and Lungi Ngidi will feature in the match by replacing Anrich Nortje.
After winning the toss, South Africa's skipper Markram said, "At the toss, we’ve chosen to bat first. The wicket looks excellent, much drier than what we’ve seen here before, and it should stay good throughout the game. Hopefully, we can put a strong total on the board. The team is in good rhythm at the moment. It’s great to see several players in form. We’re definitely not getting ahead of ourselves, but it’s encouraging to see the hard work behind the scenes paying off. We’ve had the chance to play here before, although on different pitches, black-soil surfaces mostly. This venue usually produces high-scoring games, which is exactly the kind of contest players enjoy being a part of. As for the XI, we’ve returned to our standard lineup. We’ve made four changes from the previous match, Keshav, Lungi, Marco and Dave all come back into the side".
On the other hand, Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav said, "To be honest, we were thinking of batting first as well, but no complaints. We played here a couple of days ago, and early on, there was something in the pitch when we bowled first. So we’re happy to make use of that movement upfront".
"It’s a huge match, a great stage for everyone to step up and show what they’re made of. The atmosphere looks fantastic, probably a full house tonight, and we hope to put on the kind of cricket the fans are hoping for. Yes, we have three games in the Super 8s, but we want to start strongly, right from the first ball. Tonight is about keeping our energy high and sticking to the good habits we’ve built. The surface looks similar to the one we played on previously, so we’re comfortable bowling first. It feels tough on Axar Patel, but tactically we’re sticking with the same combination. No changes from the last match," he added.
T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs SA: Confirmed Playing XI
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
South Africa: Aiden Markram (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
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