India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has addressed team's spin concern ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight clash against South Africa, which is slated to be played on February 22 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
India look to address spin concern ahead of Super 8 clash against South Africa
Throughout the tournament, India has shown a surprising vulnerability to spin, particularly off-spin. During their encounter with the USA, the batting unit struggled to gain momentum, losing three wickets for 42 runs across eight overs. This trend worsened against Namibia, where the middle order collapsed, losing five wickets for 61 runs in a similar span. Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus was the primary architect of this slide, finishing with remarkable figures of 4/20 and highlighting India's inability to rotate strike against disciplined finger spin.
The challenge intensified in the high-voltage clash against Pakistan, where a tournament-record 18 overs of spin were delivered. India was restricted to 144 runs for the loss of six wickets during those overs. While the scoring rate improved slightly to eight runs per over, the Pakistani spin attack, led by Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, and the unconventional "sidearm" action of Usman Tariq—kept the Indian batters on the defensive. Tariq, in particular, proved difficult to read, conceding only two boundaries in his four-over spell as India chose to play him with extreme caution.
There were signs of improvement during the final group game against the Netherlands, where the team looked more assured. India managed to collect 70 runs against spin in eight overs, maintaining a run rate of 8.75 despite losing two wickets. This performance stands as their most productive effort against the slower bowlers so far, providing some much-needed confidence as the competition reaches its business end.
We know we haven’t dominated spin so far: Morne Morkel
India now enter a grueling Super 8 schedule that will test their adaptability across different conditions. Their campaign begins in Ahmedabad against a formidable South African side on February 22. This will be followed by a trip to Chennai on February 26 to face an undefeated Zimbabwe, before they head to Kolkata on March 1 for their final Super 8 fixture against the West Indies at Eden Gardens.
However, despite admitting India's spin concerns, Morkel said that despite the struggles India have managed to post big totals on the board.
"We know we haven’t dominated spin so far. But surfaces haven’t been easy. Still been getting to good scores. Idea is to see off the tough phase as we know we can pull the trigger at the end," Morkel said at the pre-match press conference on February 20.