India vs South Africa Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh dent South Africa’s start
Bumrah, India’s pace spearhead, has taken four wickets in three league games at an economy rate of six and a strike-rate of 13.5. However, Peterson believes the bigger challenge for the Proteas could be Chakaravarthy, who bagged three wickets against the Netherlands and has now picked at least one wicket in each of his last 17 innings — matching Arshdeep Singh’s streak.
Armed with a wide range of variations and sharp overspin, Chakaravarthy has claimed nine wickets in four matches at an economy of 5.2 and a strike rate of 8, placing him joint second on the tournament’s wicket charts behind USA pacer Shadley Van Schalkwyk.
Against South Africa, Chakaravarthy has taken 22 wickets in eight T20Is, including career-best figures of 5-17 in Gqeberha in 2024. Only Arshdeep (23) has dismissed the Proteas more often than Chakaravarthy, who has been the leading wicket-taker in T20Is since 2025.
“The key for South Africa’s batters will be how they play Bumrah and Chakaravarthy. In combination their eight overs don’t go for many runs – like about 60 in eight overs, which means that you probably have to get another 120 of the other bowlers, which is no mean feat because Axar and Kuldeep are world-class bowlers,” said Peterson in an exclusive conversation with IANS.
Peterson also outlined how South Africa should approach Bumrah. “I do think that South Africa would have eyed up on how to play Bumrah. Knowing the coach and his mindset, it will be to take him on and not be scared. There’s no point in being timid against him.
“You have to put something on world-class bowlers for them to think about and not to allow them to settle into a rhythm on the day. They do have the experience of Markram, who’s faced Bumrah and Quinton de Kock up front. That experience of playing in Indian conditions and IPL will be very crucial for South Africa to set the tone,” said Peterson, who represented South Africa in 15 Tests, 79 ODIs and 21 T20Is.
He pointed to finisher Tristan Stubbs and wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton as potential game-changers against India’s bowling attack.
“Then the rest of the batsmen, how do they play Axar? I know Tristan Stubbs in the middle order would have played Axar plenty of times and he plays with him in the IPL in Delhi Capitals.
“He’ll be a key player, I would think, in that South African batting line-up. Ryan Rickleton’s ability to hit sixes off spinners will be a huge factor in the game. I would think that South Africa will go and try and take the Indian bowlers on and not step back and play a conservative game,” he said.
South Africa, runners-up to India in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados, have undergone significant changes under head coach Shukri Conrad. Peterson described the current squad as more balanced and more self-assured than the side that fell short at Kensington Oval.
“They’re definitely confident playing against India. What South Africa’s strength is that they have a lot of players that are playing the IPL. So there’s no surprises as far as the Indian team is concerned in terms of playing against them.
“Every single player plays in the IPL and they know what to expect and what India can throw at them. But they have improved tremendously since the last outing that they’ve met in the World Cup in Barbados,” he said.
Peterson credited Conrad’s leadership for the shift in mindset, highlighting his impact since taking charge across formats following the departure of Rob Walter.
“This team has developed very well under the new management and coach Shukri Conrad. He’s definitely instilled a lot of confidence in them. So I do think South Africa are coming to this with a different mindset as opposed to other events.”
He also lauded captain Aiden Markram for shaping a stable and driven environment within the camp. Markram has amassed 178 runs at a strike rate of 187.36, underlining his importance at the top.
“Aiden Markram is a great leader. He’s a tremendous captain. The big thing is that the players follow him. They look to him as a pull-up, so he’s quite a calm individual. In the SA20, he’s been involved in three finals with Sunrisers and winning two of them, so his leadership ability is exceptional, and in what he does. In combination with his batting form, he’s just leading the team,” Peterson said.
The ripple effect of a captain in peak form, Peterson added, lifts the entire squad. “Once your captain is in form, making good decisions on the field and batting well, it bodes really well for the confidence of the group and what they are able to achieve. As a leader, tactically he’s superb. Aiden’s biggest strength is maybe not even tactically – it’s how he’s able to keep a group together and keep them going in one direction, which is massive, going into a big clash against India.”
“He’s able to keep everybody calm, very level-headed when the pressure’s on, and when the opportunity comes to pounce, he leads the way, especially with batting perspective and in the field. We talk about Aiden Markram’s tactical nous and his batting, but his fielding on the boundary and his ability to create an opportunity in the field is also something that will lead the boys particularly well in a big clash,” said Peterson.
At the same time, Peterson emphasised that India, too, have evolved since lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup, especially with the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, which has paved the way for a side boasting greater bowling depth.
“India are an exceptional T20 team. If you look at the two squads, how they’ve evolved since the last time they met in the final in Barbados – there’s no Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli anymore, but they have increased their bowling depth as a group. With Varun Chakaravarthy coming in, it’s really added an extra dimension to India’s bowling.”
He also pointed out that India’s position as hosts and reigning ICC champions brings added pressure — something South Africa might look to exploit.
“I do think there’s a certain amount of pressure on India being the home nation and their success in ICC events. South Africa have won one, the first edition of Champions Trophy. But in the modern era, they haven’t won one white-ball competition.”
Despite that, Peterson is convinced the Proteas are heading into the clash with strong momentum.
“I do think South African squad has definitely improved. They’ve got stronger since that final. Their squad has got a lot more balance and firepower in terms of fast bowling and probably has improved.
“I do see this as a clash between a new-look India from that final and a South African team that is brimming with confidence and have evolved and improved their squad since then. It’s going to be a mouth-watering clash as both teams are coming in with tremendous form. They’re the two in-form teams of the competition and it’s going to be an exciting clash,” he concluded.
