Ahmedabad, Feb 22 (IANS) Google CEO Sundar Pichai was among the high-profile attendees in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eights clash between India and South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday evening.

Pichai, who heads Google and its parent company Alphabet joined ICC Chair Jay Shah in the stands for one of the tournament’s marquee fixtures which is also a rematch of the 2024 edition final. Pichai was also part of the pre-match proceedings, carrying the T20 World Cup trophy onto the field alongside former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.

Pichai’s attendance came on the sidelines of Google’s role as an official partner of the ongoing tournament, underscoring the growing collaboration between global technology leaders and the international cricket arena.

Pichai, born in Madurai, later joined former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri on air during the mid-innings break and spoke about his lifelong passion for the sport and the influence of Gavaskar on his early years as a cricket fan.

“Sunny (Gavaskar) was a big idol for me. I used to have the Sportstar poster on my wall. I have followed it from really young days. I used to listen to it (commentary) on the radio for the games in the West Indies with my granddad, granduncle, and so on. I have always been into the game,” he said.

Other dignitaries in attendance for the India-South Africa clash include ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta, legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni and his wife Sakshi, and Bollywood choreographer-director Farah Khan. As of now, the official attendance for the match is at 90,954.

Earlier in the evening, South Africa posted 187/7 in their 20 overs after electing to bat first, with David Miller (63), Dewald Brevis (45) and Tristan Stubbs (44 not out) being the aggressors. Jasprit Bumrah starred for India with figures of 3-15, while Arshdeep Singh took 2-28.

–IANS

nr/