IND vs SA: Predicted India playing XI for match 43 of the T20 World Cup 2026
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has now reached its second round—Super 8. All 8 teams have been confirmed for this round. From Group A, hosts and defending champions India and Pakistan have advanced, while from Group B, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have qualified. From Group C, West Indies and England were the top teams, while from Group D, South Africa and New Zealand qualified for the next stage.
In this round, all 8 qualified teams have been divided into two groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams from each group will enter the semi-finals. It should be noted that the ICC has already pre-seeded the teams, and interestingly, Group 1 consists of all undefeated teams.
Group 1: India, Zimbabwe, West Indies, South Africa
Group 2: Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand, Pakistan
The Indian team will start their Super 8 campaign against South Africa on January 22. This match will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Both were the finalists of the 2024 edition, where India lifted the title by defeating South Africa. Now, Aiden Markram & side want to take revenge for that defeat. While Suryakumar Yadav & side are eyeing to continue their dominance.
Both teams remained undefeated in their group stage campaign. India defeated the United States of America, Namibia, Pakistan, and the Netherlands. Although the Indian team easily won all of their group stage matches, Team India also faced some major challenges along the way, the consequences of which could cost India in the next round. In such a way, the Indian team might enter with a couple of changes.
Abhishek Sharma’s current form is the biggest concern for the Men in Blue. So far, he was dismissed on duck in all three innings and is still waiting for his first World Cup run. Some experts are advising that Sanju Samson should be included in the India playing XI instead of Abhishek. Apart from that, vice-captain Axar Patel will be back in the playing XI after resting from the Netherlands fixture. The rest of the playing XI probably be the same.
At the moment, everyone's focus is only on the opening slot: will Abhishek Sharma play the match against South Africa, or will Sanju Samson be included in the playing XI? Ishan Kishan is in tremendous form, and India's leading run getter in this World Cup. The team is once again expecting a big cricket score from him. Tilak Verma and captain Suryakumar Yadav have so far saved the team from early blows, but their strike rates have been a matter of concern in the World Cup. Then there are batsmen like Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh, who will be responsible for finishing. Shivam Dube played a brilliant match-saving innings in the last match against the Netherlands. The spin bowling department will once again rest on the shoulders of Varun Chakravarthy, who has taken 9 wickets so far in this World Cup. He will be joined by Axar Patel on the other hand. Axar is also an option to bat at No. 8. Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah will be the two ace pacers.
Predicted India playing XI against SA
Abhishek Sharma
Ishan Kishan (wk)
Tilak Varma
Suryakumar Yadav (c)
Shivam Dube
Hardik Pandya
Rinku Singh
Axar Patel
Varun Chakravarthy
Arshdeep Singh
Jasprit Bumrah
