Why Anrich Nortje is Not Playing Today in IND vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 Match?

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Modified - Feb 22, 2026, 02:08 PM

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The Super 8 battle between India and South Africa in Narendra Modi Stadium, which is the biggest cricket stadium in the world, carries massive significance as it is the first fixture for both teams in the Super 8s. South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first and set a target, backing their batting resources to capitalise on the conditions in Ahmedabad.

The Men in Blue have not made any changes to their playing 11; meanwhile, the Proteas have made multiple changes in their combination, with four players going out that featured in their last match, as all their frontline stars return after being rested. Notably, South Africa has dropped Anrich Nortje for this clash against India.

Why Anrich Nortje is Not Playing Today in IND vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 Match?

There is no injury concern surrounding Anrich Nortje for this Super 8 fixture. Instead, South Africa has opted to bring back Lungi Ngidi into the playing XI as Anrich Nortje replacement. Ngidi is regarded as their frontline seamer in this format. He was rested during the final group-stage match as part of workload management, and his return brings back South Africa’s preferred pace combination for this high-pressure encounter.

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram said at the toss," We are going to bat first. It looks like a really good wicket - a lot drier than the previous one we came across here - so we’re not expecting that early tackiness. We think it’s going to be a good surface throughout, and hopefully we can put a nice big score on the board.
The boys are in good touch, which is always a blessing. It’s a different wicket this time, black soil, but generally this is a high-scoring ground and an entertaining venue. As players, that’s what you look forward to being part of, and hopefully tonight is no different."

South Africa has also brought back David Miller, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj into the side for this clash and is going in with their best possible combination against the Indian side. Both teams will be looking to begin their Super 8 campaign with a win, as the margin of error is very low. All the best T20 teams in the world will be toiling hard to make a place in the semi-final of the tournament.