Ahead of the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, Team India is all set to lock horns with South Africa on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Ahead of the match, Team India`s bowling coach Morne Morkel said that the players are working hard on their fielding skills and said that catching will play a big part in the tournament.
“One thing that we work hard on is our fielding. We know the importance of the catches, wherever we can cut down angles to stop the twos, to stop any boundaries. But catching is definitely going to play a big part now in the business end of the tournament,” he said.
The “Men in Blue” have faced scrutiny over missed opportunities in recent matches, with dropped catches and misfields proving costly.
He also said that the focus is to attempt to complete the catches with 50 per cent of the chances.
“Unfortunately, no catch is an easy catch, and the boys are putting the yards in and catching a lot of balls. But that`s definitely one of our key focus points, is to really even go for those 50-50 ones, because we know how that can swing and break the momentum of a batting innings,” said Morkel.
The cricket fans will also keep a tab on Team India`s explosive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma.
Team India is placed in Group 1 of the Super 8 along with teams South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. After South Africa`s clash, the “Men in Blue” will face Zimbabwe on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The clash against the West Indies will be played on March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The title clash of the marquee event is scheduled to be played on March 8, with the venue yet to be decided.
India`s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma.
(With ANI Inputs)
