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South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bat against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Proteas will feature four changes, with Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, and David Miller returning to the team. On the other hand, India featured the same side as Axar Patel missed out. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav addressed Axar's decision as harsh for the star, saying that it was a tactical decision.
Captains at toss
Suryakumar Yadav (India captain): I was actually looking to bat first, but it’s okay. We played here two or three days back and when they were bowling first, there was a little bit in the wicket, so why not take that advantage? It’s a big game, a great occasion for everyone to step up and show their character. It’s a full house tonight, hopefully, and we’ve got a good game for them. It’s the business end now, so you’ve got to bring your A-game. We do have three league games, but you have to deliver that punch from ball one, and I think tonight is the right time. We’ll look to bring good energy on the field, follow our good habits, and take whatever result comes our way. The pitch looks quite similar to the previous black soil surface we played on, just one strip away, not too much change. We’re happy to bowl first. It’s very harsh on Axar Patel, but we’re going with the same team - just a tactical decision, so no changes from the last game.
Aiden Markram (South Africa captain): we are going to bat first. It looks like a really good wicket - a lot drier than the previous one we came across here - so we’re not expecting that early tackiness. We think it’s going to be a good surface throughout, and hopefully we can put a nice big score on the board. The boys are in good touch, which is always a blessing. We’re not taking that for granted, but it’s a good space to be in at the moment. The guys have been putting in a lot of work behind the scenes to maintain that form and confidence. We’ve been fortunate to play a couple of games here before. It’s a different wicket this time - black soil - but generally this is a high-scoring ground and an entertaining venue. As players, that’s what you look forward to being part of, and hopefully tonight is no different. From the previous game, we’ve made four changes to go back to our usual XI - Keshav (Maharaj) comes back in, Lungi (Ngidi) comes back in, Marco (Jansen) comes back in, and David (Miller) comes back in as well.”
India vs South Africa playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
South Africa (Playing XI): 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