Suryakumar Yadav and Quinton de Kock are contrasting personalities. Beyond the fact that both occupy pivotal roles in their respective teams, there are few similarities between the two. It was evident when each was confronted with questions they would have preferred to avoid on the eve of India’s clash against South Africa at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 — their responses could not have been more different.
Yadav was asked about Abhishek Sharma’s form. An idea was floated, which suggested the reintegration of Sanju Samson. To this, sporting the smile that has been a feature in all of Yadav’s press conference — forced or otherwise — he said:
I am not worried about Abhishek Sharma's form. I am worried about the people who are worried about Abhishek's form. Why are they so worried about Abhishek's form? But I think about those teams who are going to play against him. That he has not yet scored a run. You know the rest of the answers. When he scores a run, you have seen what happens. It happens, it's a team sport, it keeps going on. Now the team has a requirement that the boy should play with his identity. So he is trying to play. If it happens, then it's fine, if it doesn't, then we are there to cover. Last year he covered for us, now we will cover for him.Suryakumar Yadav
Should Sharma open, South Africa may well be tempted to begin with an off-spinner — perhaps explaining why captain Aiden Markram has spent more time bowling than batting in the nets in the lead-up to this fixture. Will Markram take the new ball?
De Kock, unlike Yadav, is not inclined towards quips or sarcasm. Characteristically stoic and poker-faced, his response was curt: I don’t have a clue.
And in these two responses lie the major talking points from what will be a rematch of the last edition’s final, who will be playing their respective first games in the Super 8.
Surya Explains Tilak Varma’s Role
In terms of form, both teams are coming into the match having won all four of their group stage matches. South Africa, perhaps, deserve more credit than the Indian team, for they were placed in a group that had — including them — three teams who had qualified for the Super 8 in 2024.
Yet both teams have discernible frailties. Beyond Abhishek Sharma’s struggles, India’s vulnerability against spin has been exposed. Consider Tilak Varma, who has scored 43 runs against spin in this tournament, but at a strike rate of just 93.48.
Suryakumar Yadav has not fared much better. He has managed 76 runs off spinners at a strike rate of 107.04. When questioned about Varma’s approach, Yadav offered a clear explanation:
I have told him, the team management has told him that he has to bat that way. If one wicket is down, then he is definitely, he can go and have his own game in the powerplay. But as soon as two wickets are down, then he has to take a little bit of backseat, get a partnership again, get to the 10th over and then we have enough firepower to continue and take on the bowling.Suryakumar Yadav
Do South Africa Lack Spinners?
From this, one inference seems obvious — South Africa’s best route to unsettling India’s batting unit may lie through spin. However, with Keshav Maharaj as their only specialist spinner and Markram likely to shoulder a significant portion of the workload, questions remain about the Proteas’ spin resources.
De Kock, however, does not anticipate much turn. Responding to a question from The Quint the pre-match press conference, he said:
I think it's different. That match (India vs Pakistan) was played in Sri Lanka. I think it's very spin-friendly there. So obviously, it's going to help the offies or any sort of spin there. Coming back here to Ahmedabad, there hasn't been any spin. So, I think it's all about playing the conditions. Whether we open up with the spinners or seamers, who knows? But I'm pretty sure the guys who are looking into it will let us know and we'll just deal with it when the time comes.Quinton de Kock
It must be noted here that the match will be played on a black soil pitch. In the last Ahmedabad game that was played on a black soil wicket, though not this one in particular, eight out of ten wickets were taken by seamers.
In case it does spin, India will have a potent weapon in their ranks, in the form of Varun Chakravarthy. Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, had this to say about the spinner:
In terms of preparation, he’s a real student of the game. He does extra work analysing batters, studies video footage in detail and asks plenty of questions. He’s like a student walking into an exam fully prepared — and more often than not, he passes those tests. He’s very organised, very professional, and trains specifically for the batters he wants to target.Morne Morkel
Proteas Bank Heavily on Top 3
While India’s concerns centre around their top order, that very department is South Africa’s strength. Their top three have amassed 441 runs, compared to just 229 from the rest of the batting unit. Leading from the front is captain Markram, who has scored 178 runs at an average of 59.33 and a striking rate of 187.36. Should there be a collapse, however, it remains to be seen whether Shukri Conrad’s team has enough firepower in their team to ensure a retaliatory effort.
In terms of bowling, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen have complemented each other effectively, picking up a total of 15 wickets. Kagiso Rabada is likely to be the third pacer in South Africa’s ranks, whereas to add to their batting depth, Corbin Bosch is also likely to get the nod. This subsequently means that both Anrich Nortje and George Linde will have to miss out.
At this stage of the competition, a single defeat can prove decisive. Both teams are widely regarded as favourites to reach the semi-finals, and each will be keen to begin their Super 8 campaign with a statement victory. There can, though, be only one winner.