Abhishek Sharma opened the innings with a new partner in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match vs South Africa.
The opening combination of India for the T20 World Cup 2026 is a widely discussed topic due to multiple options. Previous vice-captain Shubman Gill was replaced by Ishan Kishan in the squad. He batted at No.3, while Sanju Samson opened with Abhishek Sharma in the New Zealand T20Is. However, the India vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match has sent a clear signal ahead of the tournament opener on February 7.
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As for the news from the match centre at the Dr D Y Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav won the coin toss and elected to bat first.
As of submitting this report, the hosts are 122/2 after nine overs. Tilak Varma (33 off 13) and Suryakumar Yadav (7 off 3) are unbeaten on the crease. Ishan Kishan retired out after 20-ball 53 and Abhishek Sharma followed suit with 18-ball 24.
The reason for excluding Sanju Samson is simply the inconsistency of form, especially with Ishan Kishan firing on all cylinders. Amid stunning form, the left-handed batter is coming on the back of a sensational maiden century (103 off 43) in the fifth T20I against New Zealand. The venue, Thiruvananthapuram, which happens to be Samson’s home ground, didn’t witness any change of fortunes for the batter. He made a run-a-ball six, while overall in five games, he made 46 runs, including a golden duck.
In the same Kerala match, the team sheet mentioned Samson would be keeping wickets. Later, a video surfaced where he was ready to pad up, but he was asked to return as Kishan was given a preference. Apart from form and team combination, this was the first major hint.
While the hosts would be treating this ongoing warm-up match as batting practice for the middle and lower order, dropping Samson clarifies their plans. Additionally, Tilak Varma, who missed the last series due to injury, is back in the starting XI. This meant India could go with only two players out of Samson, Kishan, and Varma. Eventually, adding on Kishan’s wicketkeeping, Samson was dropped, and Varma was picked.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (w), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton (w), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, David Miller, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada.
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Despite Samson’s recent changes in technique and double-trigger footwork, he remains a quality addition, especially in the 20-over format. This makes the Indian contingent spoilt for choice. Ahead of the warm-up games, the skipper was questioned over the team’s opening combination.
He told JioHotstar, “Tilak Varma’s status remains uncertain. I’ve got to know that he’s batting well and looking sharp. His return would create a selection dilemma, as all 15 squad members are playing XI contenders. The final call on Ishan Kishan versus Sanju Samson for the opener role will be revealed on February 7.”
However, concludingly, the IND vs SA warm-up game must have given a lot of clarity to the team, opponents, experts, and fans alike.
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