IND vs SA T20 World Cup: India, South Africa lock into tactical battle ahead of Super 8 clash

Ahmedabad, Friday: Two nights before India’s Super 8 opener against South Africa, the Narendra Modi Stadium felt more chessboard than cricket ground. Every net session, every murmured plan, carried the weight of a campaign that could hinge on one left-handed gamble.

Abhishek Sharma, the tournament’s most talked-about non-starter, remains scoreless yet central to both teams’ plotting. South Africa’s brains trust—assistant coach Albie Morkel and captain Aiden Markram—devoted more than an hour to bowling at left-handers, with Albie himself taking guard while Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi rotated around the wicket, searching for the angle that crimps free scoring. Maharaj repeatedly fired full and wide outside off; the quicks toggled between over and round, probing the left-handers’ perceived discomfort against the away-going ball.

India, meanwhile, have leaned so heavily into south-paw ballast that their batting order now bristles with them. The move has invited off-spin scrutiny and, after a subdued showing against Netherlands’ finger spinners, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted the line-up looked “submissive” against subtle turn. South Africa sense vulnerability.

Friday evening’s nets were a direct response. Abhishek, fresh from a lengthy conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir, shelved the fireworks. He batted deep into the session, defending, nudging and only rarely unleashing the lofted hits that make him box-office. Ishan Kishan, enjoying the richest vein of form in his career, concentrated on back-foot punches through the off side while Arshdeep Singh and the spinners honed a sixth-stump line. Tilak Varma, short of fluency so far, slipped away to side pitches for throw-downs aimed at widening his off-side game.

The cross-border subplot is impossible to ignore. Brothers Morne Morkel (India bowling coach) and Albie (South Africa assistant) have not spoken for a fortnight, a silent stand-off that underscores the stakes. “Luckily, there’s been someone standing up for Abhishek,” Morne said, defending the left-hand stack. “But we’re in the important phase of the tournament. I am sure, not just for the team but for the viewers, he will come good because of the entertainment he offers.”

India’s group-stage romps against associate opponents were supposed to fine-tune the engine; instead they roll into the Super 8 still tinkering. “That’s been the makeup of the team coming into this World Cup,” Morne shrugged. “The opposition bowlers will still have sleepless nights.”

Whether those sleepless nights translate to Sunday’s scorecard may decide who advances with momentum—and who spends the flight home replaying a tactical misstep.