Let’s be very clear that South Africa and New Zealand are the only two teams in the ongoing T20 World Cup that can give India a massive run for their money with their batting alone.
India may have some of the finest T20 bowlers today but the truth of the matter is it’s their batting that oppositions fear more. Any opposition that has a strong batting has a very good chance against India, who kick off their Super 8s campaign against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The Proteas not long ago lost 3-1 in India but they showed many times that on their day they can very well match India’s firepower in batting. Twice in four matches — with one being a washout — they scored upwards of 200. In the following ODI series, they even chased down 359, and once they almost chased down 350.
Players like Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, David Miller Dewald Brevis and Corbin Bosch – all of them part of both ODI and T20I set-ups — can really match Indian batsmen pound for pound, it truth be told.
Then India haven’t had a great group stage. Yes, they won all their matches but their performance was not exactly befitting their reputation as the most devastating T20I side in the world against lesser teams like USA, Namibia, Netherlands and Pakistan. USA and the Netherlands particularly threw a scare into them.
Suryakumar Yadav’s men can’t afford to have one more outing of that nature. For the first time in this tournament, they are up against a top opposition and if they are not on their A game right from the get-go, South Africa can punish them severely. Conversely, they if can dispatch South Africa, no matter how they win, it will be a big boost to their trophy defence.
Ever since their close defeat to India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, the South Africans have been hurting. Which is understandable. They haven’t won any World Cup to date, be it T20I or ODI, despite the presence of some of the finest players of their generation in their ranks. Against India that day, they, by all appearances, were going to break the jinx before Jasprit Bumrah and company shattered their dreams in the last few overs of their chase. Nothing would please them more than to beat India and derail their Super 8s campaign on Sunday.
India have to be ultra careful. It’s a game that can have serious ramifications for them, if they lose.
