On Saturday, a day before India were to face South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, it did not look like a Super 8 contest. A total of four Indian players turned up for practice and the story was more or less similar for the South African side. It was quite a contrast that South Africa did not opt for full training under the lights of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, while smaller nations like Namibia were upset that training sessions were not given to adapt to the stadium floodlights.
On Saturday, the Motera area of Ahmedabad, where the stadium is located, was the calm before the storm. The area was not busy. Only a few people gathered around the main gate of the stadium, looking for tickets from the guards. Inside the stadium complex, carpenters and painters put the finishing touches on setting up player and VIP lounges, while outside on the ground, South Africa and India players trotted and soaked up the atmosphere of the stadium.
India vs South Africa Clash it will be the first meeting between the two at the World Cup since the heartbreaking defeat of the Proteas in the 2024 final. Quinton de Kock told a press conference that South Africa were still sensitive about the subject and said that since that fateful day in Barbados, no one in the party had spoken of that night once.
“To be honest, we just forgot about it after that game. To be honest, none of us wanted to talk about it. We went home and went through our own processes to deal with it. That’s pretty much it. We never really talked about it,” De Kock said.
South Africa are all set to face India in the Super 8s. (PTI photo)
Interactions with Quinton de Kock’s print can often become monotonous. He doesn’t play with the room, doesn’t speak more than one sentence in most cases, and rarely shows emotion. But with the bat, that all changes. De Kock averages close to 50 in the T20 format at this venue. Mix this data with Aiden Markram’s current form and it suddenly becomes a scary proposition for the Indian team.
But then again, you wouldn’t feel the urgency from it Training in South Africa.
Two days before the game, only Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis and Corbin Bosch found the back of the net. The day before the game, it was just Ryan Rickelton throwing down in the main arena.
Where is the urgency? How does it feel to play against India? One might ask.
However, it is important to note that South Africa have already played three matches at this ground. Two of them were night games so they know the surface very well.
A lot of South Africa’s practice revolved around their bowling plans as they tried different variations in the nets. They have given their bowling attack a lot of thought and will be hoping it works on Sunday.
INDIA’S TOUGHEST TEST YET?
The Indian team practiced for almost four hours two days before the match. While most of them didn’t turn up for the Saturday afternoon session, the previous evening was a hammer and tongs party.
Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan looked incredibly in touch. Axar Patel’s batting also looked sharp. It suggested that India might play one less spinner on the black soil surface and bring Arshdeep Singh into the playing XI. He bowled a lot against Ishan Kishan in the nets. India’s training ahead of the Super 8 clash has been intense. (PTI photo)
The only question before the journalists and fans was whether Abhishek Sharma would play after his triple failure. However, these fears were allayed by Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday when he backed the players and said he did not feel the need to make any changes to the side.
“Those who worry about Abhishek Sharma’s form, I worry about them: ‘Why are you so worried about his form?’ I am worried about the teams that will face him now because he is yet to score,” Suryakumar said at the pre-match press conference.
India is on autopilot at the moment. Other than their batting against spin, most things checked out. Emphasis was placed on Tilak Varma, who was unable to relax in the middle overs – partly because of the nature of the pitch and partly because of the positions he was forced to bat in, often in crunch situations.
“I’m sure he must not be happy with the way he’s batting right now. I’m sure. He must be and he’s been practicing a lot in the last 2-3 sessions,” Suryakumar said of Tilak Varma.
IND vs SA: PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS AHMEDABAD
Ahmedabad was so hot in the afternoon that both teams preferred not to field their players in extended matches on the net during the day. In the evening it was sometimes windy with slight clouds. It is expected to be a black ground pitch in Ahmedabad, with negligible help for spinners.
The wicket was kept under cover leading into the game and one wonders if this was to prevent it from drying out too quickly.
De Kock said in his press conference that there has been little or no shooting in Ahmedabad so far and one wonders if the World Cup will eventually get the high-scoring thriller it has been calling for.
There was no dew at the Narendra Modi Stadium before the match and that is unlikely to change on Sunday.
IND vs SA: WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
India vs South Africa match starts at 19:00 IST. The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The IND vs SA match will be telecast live on JioHotstar and the telecast will be on Star Sports Network.
IND vs SA: PREDICTED XIS
India Predicted XI: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
Predicted XI of South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 22, 2026
