India’s preparations for the big Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against South Africa have raised many eyebrows. After finishing the group stage as an unbeaten team, India will face South Africa in their first game of the Super 8 round on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Only four players turned up for the practice session before the big South Africa match
In a surprising scene at the Narendra Modi Stadium, only four players turned up for the optional practice session with head coach Gautam Gambhir and other support staff leading the camp on Saturday, February 21, as India Today and Jagran News journalists reported.
Only four players in practice has certainly sparked a huge debate, with many questioning whether the players in blue have become overconfident after winning all four of their group stage matches against the United States, Pakistan, Namibia and the Netherlands.
Also read: Aakash Chopra hits out at Pakistan over allegations of ‘ICC favoring BCCI’
Before the important match against South Africa, Kuldeep Yadav was seen bowling in the nets. The wrist spinners mainly bowled to Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh. Both left-handers looked focused and hungry in the nets. Ishaan was particularly aggressive.
Gautam Gambhir is closely watching Rinku Singh try something different
Ishaan was hitting the ball with full force and was trying to hit it straight on the ground. There was a lot of discussion about “hitting in the V”, which meant playing shots straight between mid-off and mid-on. The team management clearly wants a clean and powerful game in the Super 8 round.
Rinku Singh was also seen playing an interesting role during India’s optional training session. After batting, the finisher also tried some round-arm bowling in the nets ahead of the South Africa game.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was also present in the session, but he spent most of the time resting and observing the proceedings. Meanwhile, Gambhir kept a close watch on Kishan’s batting.
Today only 4 players practice in India.
Kuldeep is bowling to Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan.
Suryakumar Yadav is roaming outside.#INDvsSA #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/fgIqaj3Klo
– Kingshuk Kusari (@KusariKingshuk) 21 February 2026
Gautam Gambhir keeps a close eye on Ishan Kishan.
There is a lot of discussion about killing in V.
Ishaan is hitting the balls hard.#T20WorldCup @ITGDsports pic.twitter.com/jhsdA3MIdV
– Kingshuk Kusari (@KusariKingshuk) 21 February 2026
Optional practice session is in progress. Only 4 players have participated. Now Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh are batting. pic.twitter.com/L5GbN2urDX
-Vimal Kumar (@vimalva) 21 February 2026
India remained unbeaten in Super 8
Meanwhile, India are entering the Super 8 stage in strong style. They won all four matches in Group A and topped the table. Their campaign seems to be doing just fine, but there are some serious concerns. The biggest worry is Abhishek Sharma.
Also read: Gautam Gambhir has an in-depth conversation with Abhishek Sharma in Ahmedabad
He came into this tournament as the world No. 1-ranked T20I batsman. Everyone expected him to give a strong start to India, but he surprised everyone by getting out for zero thrice, which increased the pressure on the rest of the top-order players. The other problem is how the batsmen play against off-spin bowling.
Left-heavy batting order under question
There are many left-handed batsmen like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma in the top order, and other teams are using off-spinners early in the innings. Indian batsmen failed to score fast runs against off-spinners and many players lost their wickets.
India’s fielding has not been good, as they have dropped two to three catches in almost every game. In big tournaments, these mistakes can cost the match. There appeared to be some confusion and lack of communication on the field. Now, they all have to fix these issues to reach the Super 8 stage.
