IND vs SA Playing 11 Prediction: India may field two major changes in their Super 8 T20 World Cup clash against South Africa. Let's take a look at India's probable playing XI.
IND vs SA Playing 11 Prediction: Undefeated in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, India will play their first Super 8 stage match against South Africa. This match will be played on Sunday, February 22, at 7 PM Indian Standard Time, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Suryakumar Yadav and company will be looking to win this match at all costs. In such a scenario, two significant changes can be seen in the Indian team for this match as well. Let's take a look at India's probable playing XI before this match.
The league stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 has been very poor for India's star batsman Abhishek Sharma. He has failed to open his account in all three matches played as an opener. He has been dismissed for a duck three times in a row, and because of this, his place in India's playing XI for the Super 8 is being questioned. India has an option at the top in the form of Sanju Samson. He played in Abhishek's absence against Namibia but could only score 22 runs.
Abhishek's struggles are particularly concerning, as this is his first T20 World Cup and he hasn't been able to do anything significant in the tournament so far. On the other hand, Samson also failed to capitalize on the one opportunity he got. In such a situation, the decision will not be easy for the team management. The big question is whether Samson will replace Abhishek in the first Super 8 match against South Africa? Although there is no official confirmation yet, Sanju Samson appears to be slightly ahead in the race for the opening spot.
The Indian team might field two changes in the match against South Africa, and the second change will be in the form of Washington Sundar. Sundar got a chance to return in the match against the Netherlands, but he could not live up to expectations. He did not get a chance to bat in that match, and he also couldn't do anything with the ball. He conceded 36 runs in his four-over spell and couldn't take any wickets. He might be replaced by Axar Patel, who was rested in the previous match.
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma/Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar/Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Talking about the head-to-head record between India and South Africa in T20 International cricket, these two teams have faced each other a total of 35 times so far. Out of these, India has won 21 matches, while the Proteas have been successful in 13 matches. India also leads 5-2 in T20 World Cups. The last T20 World Cup match between them was the 2024 final, in which the Indian team captured the title by winning by 7 runs.