Sachin Tendulkar praised the Afghanistan cricket team for their undeniable efforts against the strong South Africa cricket team. On 11 February, Afghanistan faced South Africa in broad daylight at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
This match will remain one of the most entertaining, thrilling encounters during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, as two Super Overs were required to find out the eventual winner, which was South Africa. Afghanistan may have lost the match, but Tendulkar believes that this Afghanistan team can be more dangerous.
Match Summary
Talking about the match, South Africa, who came to bat first, scored 187 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs. In the second innings, the Afghans came very close to clearing this hurdle, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz scoring 84 runs. But when the team was at 187 runs, they lost their last batsman. The match was tied.
As per the rules, Super Over came into the equation to break the deadlock. From there the situation became more intense and interesting. In the first super over, both the teams got 17-17 runs and then there was a tie, no result.
Ultimately, the second Super Over was successful in separating these two teams. The combination of Tristan Stubbs and David Miller scored 23 runs. In reply, Afghans got 19 runs. South Africa won the match on the last ball of the second super over. It was once again Rahmanullah Gurbaz who took the team closer to the opponent’s score.
Sachin Tendulkar’s decision on Afghanistan
Former Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Robin Uthappa praised both the teams for displaying such high level cricket. Tendulkar said that Afghanistan could become even more dangerous after the match.
The veteran wrote on his ‘X’ post, “Two Super Overs in a day keeps the boredom away! A game that went down to the wire. Congratulations to the South African team on the win. Requires patience to watch the game. This Afghanistan team has the potential to be really dangerous.”
Two Super Overs a day keep the boredom at bay! A game that went down to the wire.
Congratulations to the South African team on their victory. It takes patience to see the game through to the end.
This Afghanistan team has the potential to be really dangerous.
– Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) 11 February 2026
Robin Uthappa also issued a statement
Uthappa said that it was the craziest game he had ever seen in the T20 World Cup. He extended support to Gurbaz who performed brilliantly against South Africa.
“This is one of the most brilliant games I have ever seen in a T20 World Cup. Feel for Gurbaz who stood strong for Afghanistan!! South Africa kept their composure under pressure, which was great to see!! Brilliant for cricket!!” Uthappa said.
This is one of the craziest games I have ever seen in a T20 World Cup. Feel for Gurbaz who stood firm for Afghanistan!! SA maintained its composure under pressure which was great to see!! Awesome for cricket!!
– Robbie Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) 11 February 2026
read more: How can Afghanistan qualify for Super 8 even after consecutive defeats in T20 World Cup 2026?
