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The sequel nobody want to miss - Let us rewind to June 2024. Kensington Oval, Barbados. South Africa were cruising in the T20 World Cup final, one hand on the trophy, when Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh produced a spell for the ages to rip it away and leave the Proteas heartbroken. Fast forward to 2026 and the two heavyweights collide again, this time in Match 3 of the Super 8s at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. And this is no ordinary Super 8 group, with West Indies and Zimbabwe also in the mix, two other unbeaten group toppers, this has quickly become the tournament's toughest pool. Perfect group stages, different paths - Both sides arrive unbeaten. South Africa swept past New Zealand, Canada and UAE comfortably, but their defining moment came in that unforgettable clash against Afghanistan - a double Super Over epic that will live long in World Cup folklore. India, too, topped their group with four wins, brushing aside Netherlands and Namibia and dominating Pakistan, but they had to dig deep in their opener against USA, rescued by Suryakumar Yadav's match-winning 84 off 49. India's firepower - India may not have hit absolute top gear yet, but they have found match-winners at every turn. Ishan Kishan smashed a blistering 77 against Pakistan on a slow Colombo surface, Shivam Dube hammered 66 off 31 against Netherlands, and Hardik Pandya has delivered crucial all-round impact time and again. Add Rinku Singh's finishing prowess and India's tally of 40 sixes - the most in the group stage, with Kishan contributing 11 and the batting depth looks formidable. The bowling have been pretty sharp. Varun Chakravarthy has been outstanding with nine wickets, bossing the middle overs, Axar Patel has been reliable (and likely returns after being rested), while Bumrah and Arshdeep have been clinical both up front and at the death. A few warning signs - Yet there are cracks to address. The No.1 ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma has three ducks and is yet to score.
A concerning pattern has also emerged when Tilak Varma and SKY bat together, both striking under 125 in recent games, particularly struggling against off-spin. India are scoring at just 6.23 against off-spinners, with an average of 13.25, numbers only better than Nepal and Oman. Add nine dropped catches - the second most in the tournament and there are clear areas to tighten up. Markram's men mean business - South Africa have been equally impressive. Aiden Markram has led from the front with two fifties, including a superb 86 against New Zealand, while Ryan Rickelton boasts the highest strike rate in the squad (minimum 10 balls faced). Quinton de Kock has quietly crossed 100 runs, anchoring things smartly at the top. Dewald Brevis, though, is yet to truly ignite this campaign - something that will be on the management's mind but he will take confidence from the white-ball tour of India late last year, where he played a couple of impactful knocks and showed exactly the kind of damage he can inflict on this very opposition. Tristan Stubbs and David Miller continue to finish strongly - Stubbs already a hero for that last-ball six in the first Super Over against Afghanistan. Proteas pace battery firing - Their pace unit has been nothing short of lethal. Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch have combined for 20 wickets, with both Ngidi and Jansen registering four-fers in the tournament. Interestingly, Kagiso Rabada has managed just two wickets in four games so far, while Anrich Nortje returned in the final league fixture to pick up a couple himself, creating a healthy selection dilemma ahead of this clash.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, Corbin Bosch, Kwena Maphaka, and George Linde.
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A concerning pattern has also emerged when Tilak Varma and SKY bat together, both striking under 125 in recent games, particularly struggling against off-spin. India are scoring at just 6.23 against off-spinners, with an average of 13.25, numbers only better than Nepal and Oman. Add nine dropped catches - the second most in the tournament and there are clear areas to tighten up. Markram's men mean business - South Africa have been equally impressive. Aiden Markram has led from the front with two fifties, including a superb 86 against New Zealand, while Ryan Rickelton boasts the highest strike rate in the squad (minimum 10 balls faced). Quinton de Kock has quietly crossed 100 runs, anchoring things smartly at the top. Dewald Brevis, though, is yet to truly ignite this campaign - something that will be on the management's mind but he will take confidence from the white-ball tour of India late last year, where he played a couple of impactful knocks and showed exactly the kind of damage he can inflict on this very opposition. Tristan Stubbs and David Miller continue to finish strongly - Stubbs already a hero for that last-ball six in the first Super Over against Afghanistan. Proteas pace battery firing - Their pace unit has been nothing short of lethal. Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch have combined for 20 wickets, with both Ngidi and Jansen registering four-fers in the tournament. Interestingly, Kagiso Rabada has managed just two wickets in four games so far, while Anrich Nortje returned in the final league fixture to pick up a couple himself, creating a healthy selection dilemma ahead of this clash.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, Corbin Bosch, Kwena Maphaka, and George Linde.
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All posters, please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staff, etc.
2. No making fun of players', officials', or coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media, or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion, as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
I’ll prepare a 4 duck platter presented across the line 
