Former South African batter Neil McKenzie has given his thoughts on the upcoming Super 8 clash between India and South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. 

India and South Africa, the finalists of the 2024 T20 World Cup, have been exceptional so far in this year’s edition. Both teams won all of their group-stage matches and would want to continue the same momentum.

South Africa have played three of their four group-stage matches in Ahmedabad. Asked about how it can help the Aiden Markram-led side, McKenzie gave his thoughts and also praised the quality of the Indian bowling attack.

“So, for one box, India will obviously have home ground advantage. South Africa will be thinking, well, we’ve been here for the last couple of weeks. We know the venue really well. So that might cancel out,” he was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. 

“Where India is slightly ahead of South Africa is that they’ve got a lot more variation in the spin department. But I don’t see that as being huge. It’s obviously a huge positive because you have all the variations, but it’s how you deploy them,” he opined. 

He was further asked if the absence of a frontline off-spinner against a left-hand heavy Indian batting line-up could hurt the Proteas, with their frontline spinner being left-armer Keshav Maharaj.

“Markram is more than a useful off-spinner. Also, with the left-handers, you’ve got Lungi Ngidi who can bowl in the up front one or two, and then in the middle and the one at the back end. And his favourite ball is the slow ball into the wicket. So, he is basically taking away from the left-handers as well. So, they have got a lot of tools that they can use,” McKenzie concluded. 

India and South Africa have met seven times in T20 World Cup history, with the Men in Blue emerging victorious on five occasions and South Africa only twice.