T20 World Cup: South Africa opt to bat first against India in Ahmedabad
February 22, 2026 06:39 pm
South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bat against defending champions India in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday. The match is being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
India and South Africa have met 35 times in T20 International cricket, with India winning 21 matches and South Africa 13. One match ended with no result.
In T20 World Cup encounters, India have emerged victorious in five of seven matches, while South Africa have won twice.
After winning the toss, Markram announced three changes to the South African playing XI, with Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen returning to the side. “We’re gonna bat first, really a good wicket and a lot drier than what we have seen. The boys are looking in good touch, and it’s a good place to be at the moment. We have been fortunate to play a couple of games here. This is black soil pitch. We have made 4 changes from the previous game. Kesh (Keshav Maharaj), Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen come back in,” he said.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav, having lost the toss, confirmed the team would remain unchanged from their previous game. “We were also looking to bat first, a good occasion for everyone to come up and show what we have got. We have good energy on the field, and we will take the result, whatever comes our way. Happy to bowl first. Very harsh on Axar Patel, we are going with the same team. So no changes,” he stated.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
