Ahmedabad, Feb 21 (IANS) Opener Abhishek Sharma’s poor form and sloppy fielding will be in focus as India face South Africa in their first match in the Super8s round of the T20 World Cup 2026 to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Abhishek is yet to score a run in the tournament. He began his campaign with a golden duck against the United States, followed by early dismissals against Pakistan and the Netherlands.

India’s fielding woes have continued throughout the tournament. Suryakumar Yadav’s team have dropped nine catches in four group-stage matches, which is the second-highest tally among the 20 teams in the competition.

Despite the concerns, India will be getting into the contest while remaining unbeaten in the Group stage. They began with a 29-run win over the USA before dismantling Namibia by 93 runs. A 61-run victory against Pakistan displayed their dominance, while a 17-run win over the Netherlands in Ahmedabad sealed their unbeaten group-stage run.

On the other hand, South Africa were equally clinical in Group D, finishing with four wins and an NRR of 1.943. They opened with a 57-run win over Canada, edged Afghanistan in a dramatic double Super Over, chased down New Zealand comfortably, and defeated the UAE with ease in their last match.

India have an upper hand in the head-to-head record in T20Is, as they have won 21 out of 35 matches played between the two sides. In T20 World Cup history, India have also won five out of seven matches they played against the Proteas, which include the T20 World Cup 2024 final, in which India became the winners.

When: Sunday, February 21, 7:00 PM IST

Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

Where to watch: Star Sports Network for Live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming.

Squads:

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.

–IANS

sds/bsk/