IND vs SA T20: This is not just a series, but the beginning of the journey to World Cup 2026…

Generally, if the World Cup finalist teams clash with each other after a few months, then that series is discussed not only in those two countries but in the whole world. But, the two teams, i.e. India and South Africa, who will face each other in the T20 World final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29, are playing from November 8 to November 15 (4 matches in a week), so in the discussion about that, There is no warmth. The important reason for this could perhaps be Rohit Sharma’s team’s sudden loss to New Zealand or the wait for Team India’s tour to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

But, Suryakumar Yadav and his/her colleagues know that this thing and this series is not just for a week or a few months but till the next World Cup to be held in India-Sri Lanka in June 2026. It is certain that neither Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill nor Rishabh Pant will be available for T20 cricket till next year i.e. December 2025. Same situation is going to happen to Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav in bowling. In such a situation, the more players who show consistency by playing brilliantly under the captaincy of Surya in the next one year, the better it will be for them.

Who else can understand better than Sanju Samson…
Who else can understand this better than Sanju Samson. In 2021, Sanju did not get a chance to play the T20 World Cup, whereas the very next year in 2022, he/she kept coming in and out of the team because Dinesh Karthik made a strong comeback and Pant was there. Rohit Sharma himself had explained to Sanju by telephone that he/she was disappointed at his/her not being selected but had also reassured him/her that he/she would definitely be in the T20 World Cup next time. Sanju continued to play well and left a mark in every opportunity he/she got, due to which he/she became a part of the World Champion team. But, Sanju could not play even a single match because Pant was a regular part of the playing eleven. It is a different matter that there was a possibility of Sanju playing just a day before the final but in the last moments the captain gave preference to Pant’s experience.

Abhishek came to know about the difference between IPL and international matches
Now under the captaincy of Surya, Sanju has got a new role as an opener. The start of the Sri Lanka tour in the month of August was not good but after that Sanju scored a brilliant century in the last home series against Bangladesh and showed that he/she will try to compensate for the lack of an opener like Rohit Sharma in this format. Sanju had scored a century during the ODI series on the last tour of South Africa and some of his/her good memories are related to this country. In such a situation, if Sanju scores at least two half-centuries in this series or even plays useful match-winning innings in every match, then it can be assumed that his/her progress is going right. Similar is the condition of Sanju’s fellow opener and young batsman Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek, who considered Yuvraj Singh as his/her idol, had proved his/her talent on many occasions even against a formidable opener like Travis Head in the IPL this year, but soon he/she came to know that there is a huge gap between international cricket and IPL. So far in his/her short career, he/she has scored a brilliant century against Zimbabwe but apart from that, he/she has not been able to cross even the 17-run mark in 6 innings. If this 24 year old opener succeeds in showing stability in the top order like Sanju, then the captain’s headache will be reduced to a great extent.

Players like Ryan Parag and Mayank Yadav, who are an important part of the future plans, have not come on this tour due to being unfit. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, who were considered part of the future T20 team till the last Bangladesh series, are not taking the flight to South Africa and are going to Perth with the Test team.

The onus is on Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh
In such a situation, a lot of responsibility will be on the shoulders of all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh. Pandya had forgotten the disappointment of captaincy in the last series by winning the Man of the Series title and he/she knows that he/she will have to spread the same fire in South Africa to re-underline his/her importance in the one-day team in the Champions Trophy next year. Will have to. If Pandya consistently shows patience and consistency in his/her game, then he/she can definitely always be a good choice for the selectors as a captaincy option. This clearly means that this series is very important for Pandya personally. If Rinku Singh also wants to upgrade Hook from T20 to one-day cricket, then he/she will have to show his/her best game as a finisher.

Ravi Bishnoi and Varun also face challenges
Ravi Bishnoi also knows that he/she has got a chance to replace the experienced Yuzvendra Chahal in the team because he/she is a better fielder and can also score useful runs in the lower order if needed. Same will be the case with the other spinner, Varun Chakraborty, who had shown a brilliant game in the Bangladesh series, but whether he/she will be able to maintain his/her mystery factor on the pitches in Africa which are helpful for fast bowlers, will be a big challenge for him/her.

Arshdeep can prove to be a trump card
This series can also be very interesting for T20 World Cup star all-rounder Akshar Patel. For the last few months, he/she kept practicing with the Test team but he/she did not get a chance to play in even one of the 5 home Tests. Not only this, he/she was not even included in the team for the Australia tour. This clearly means that the selectors are currently considering him/her as a more important player for this T20 format. The same thing can be said about Arshdeep Singh, who can prove to be a trump card for Team India on the fast bowling front in the absence of Bumrah.

The players have a lot to prove but what about the coaching team? Even though VVS Laxman is in the role of head coach on this tour, his/her real responsibility is of the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. his/her fellow sports staff Sairaj Bahutule would also know that the command of the team in the 2026 World Cup would be with Gautam Gambhir and his/her colleagues.

tag: India vs South Africa, indian cricket team, t20 world cup, team india