Not Ishan or Abhishek, Ex-South Africa captain picks two India stars as deciding factors in T20 World Cup Super 8 clash

Former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock reckons that Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy could play a major role when India take on South Africa in their T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match. Notably, India and South Africa, who are the finalists of the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2024, will face each other on February 22 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Who will be deciding factor in IND vs SA T20 World Cup Super 8 clash?

Speaking at the SuperSport ICC T20 Men’s World Cup Round Table, Pollock said both teams have players who can counter each other on any given day. But when he looks at the overall combinations, India’s pace and spin pair stands out for him.

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“I think South Africa and India have got personnel who can kind of match each other on a day. So Quinton (de Kock) can fire. He can match what Abhishek (Sharma) can do. Aiden (Markram) can fire. He can kind of match whoever,” Pollock said.

“I'm just saying when I look down at the lineups, I think for me, the point of difference is the two bowlers in Bumrah and Chakaravarthy.”

Why Bumrah and Chakravarthy will play crucial role in IND vs SA clash?

Pollock made it clear that South Africa also have plenty of quality players. However, he believes what makes India’s two bowlers special is their unique style and ability to control different phases of the game.

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“Not saying that South Africa haven't got some quality, but it's just the rare nature of the way they kind of deliver the ball that gives them maybe that little bit of an edge. Bumrah is very unorthodox. He's got a wonderful wrist position. He bowls brilliantly in the Powerplays with a new ball, if he has to in the middle, and his death bowling is pretty exceptional as well," he said.

“And then who controls the middle overs for them? Chakaravarthy...When you talk about matchups. He's a guy who can, doesn't matter who's at the crease, whether it's left hand or right hand that comes to the crease, he is a guy who can dictate to him. So, I think they've just got a little bit of an edge over us in that department.," he added.

India also have strong options like Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Still, Pollock’s comments suggest that the outcome of the Super 8 match may depend on how well South Africa handle Bumrah with the new ball and at the death, and how they manage Varun during the middle overs.