India will take on South Africa in their only warm-up match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, February 4.
A warm-up for this Indian side? Really?
After all, this is a team that has just come through a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, full of match-winners and brimming with confidence. So why the need for one final dress rehearsal before they begin their title defense against the USA in Mumbai on February 7?
India will take on South Africa in a FIFA World Cup T20 2026 warm-up match from 19:00 IST in Navi Mumbai. The match will be telecast on Star Sports and live on JioHotstar in India.
Because even the cruelest slot machines have loose screws. And India, for all their depth and dominance, still have a few selection calls to iron out before the real business begins.
Let’s start with the most unpleasant: Sanju Samson.
The batsman once again finds himself in familiar territory – waiting, watching and fighting to hold on. His returns from the T20I series against New Zealand did him no favors: just 46 runs in five matches, including three single-figure scores. It is the unflattering lowest by an Indian opener who has appeared in every game of the five-match bilateral T20I series. T20 World Cup: Focus is on Sanju Samson again. (PTI photo)
SAMSON VS ISHAN KISHAN
And the timing couldn’t be worse.
Because Ishan Kishan was charging from the outside lane. Kishan, a late entrant to the T20 World Cup squad, made sure he did not arrive quietly. Against New Zealand, he amassed 215 runs at an average north of 50 and a stunning strike rate of 231.18, ending the series with a set win in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday 31 January.
If Samson needed to breathe, he wasn’t getting it.
His relationship with selection has long been complicated. #JusticeForSamson is trending often enough to feel like a recurring event on the calendar. And you don’t have to scroll too far to understand why.
At last year’s Asia Cup, India brought Shubman Gill back into the T20I line-up and asked Samson to move to the middle order – effectively dismantling the opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma that redefined India’s early powerplay. Samson struggled to make an immediate impact in an unfamiliar role and India wasted little time in dropping him to Jitesh Sharma – even as Gill himself struggled with inconsistency at the top.
Weeks before the T20 World Cup, the Gill experiment was shelved and Samson was reinstated as an opener. Again.
CAN SANJU SAMSON MAKE A DECLARATION?
The problem is not talent; it’s turbulence. The constant shuffling made it difficult for Samson to find a rhythm. Five matches on the trot is a luxury in Indian cricket and when you’re asked to reset the game every few weeks, momentum becomes a fragile thing.
The team management seems inclined to stick with him. But Suryakumar Yadav’s words after the New Zealand series told their own story as the Indian skipper spoke enthusiastically about Kishan’s impact and the declaration of his hundred.
So where does that leave Samson?
He probably has one last audition. And while the hours in the nets – hundreds of balls batted in Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram – show the work he is doing, the returns in the middle have been worrying. When it counted, he looked scratchy, unsure and far from fluent. Last chance for Sanju Samson? (PTI photo)
Can India really afford to field an opener in this form? Or do they back Samson a bit longer knowing their campaign begins with relatively tamer fixtures – against USA on February 7 and Namibia on February 12?
A solid fifty, or better yet, a definitive knock against South Africa in the warm-up, might have calmed the noise, calmed his nerves and almost kept the door open.
But I missed it again and that door might slam shut.
Okay, what are the other areas that India is looking at?
CAN TILAK VARMA CONFIRM HIS COMEBACK?
India’s Asia Cup hero was ruled out of the recently concluded series against New Zealand after undergoing surgery for a testicular torsion last month. However, Tilak recovered in time to be a part of the setup. He played a warm-up match for the Ayush Badoni-led India A team against USA on 2 February and hit a brisk 24-ball 38.
Tilak will almost certainly start in the playing eleven considering the role he plays in the middle overs. He proved his mettle under pressure when he led India out of trouble in last year’s Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai. The team management and physios will be keeping a close eye on how he fares against the Proteas on Wednesday.
WHERE IS WASHINGTON SUNDAR?
India, meanwhile, are also sweating over the fitness of their spin-bowling all-rounder, who has been ruled out of the T20I series against New Zealand with a rib injury. Washington was on the road to recovery, but unlike Tilak, he failed to hit the straps before the tournament.
India are yet to talk about replacing him, but will be keeping a close eye on the likes of Ayush Badoni, who will play the next warm-up match on February 6. It will also be an opportunity for Ravi Bishnoi to stake his claim after impressing in the T20I series against New Zealand.
India would prefer a similar replacement for Washington in case the Tamil Nadu all-rounder fails to recover in time for the T20 World Cup. Riyan Parag, who also appeared in the warm-up against USA, will be on the radar.
On the other hand, South Africa will be keen to field their full strength and test themselves against the world’s best. The returns of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada gave them a boost last month as they won the home T20I series against West Indies 2-1 — a month after losing the five-match series 1-3 to India in India.
platoons
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.
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– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
February 4, 2026
