Team India, the defending champion and the co-host of the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup, started the campaign as the hot favourite to win the title again. Standing strong on the immense possibilities and potential the team has, the Men in Blue qualified in the Super 8 as an undefeated side. In the group stage, they outclassed the United States, Pakistan, Namibia, and the Netherlands to enter the next round of the tournament.
The way Suryakumar Yadav has been performing since the beginning of the competition, they are looking unstoppable. However, former England cricketer Moeen Ali and England spinner Adil Rashid have different opinions.
Which team can defeat the in-form Team India?
Acknowledging India’s dominating run in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2025, Moeen Ali stated on Beard Before Wicket podcast, “The Men in Blue are not invisible, and they can test that in the Super 8 stage.” The former England cricketer put a bet on South Africa, which has a strong set of batters. The defending champion will face the Proteas on the evening of February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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Ali explained why he believes South Africa has the potential to beat down the team, which has some of the top-notch batters in the format, like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, the skipper Suryakumar Yadav himself, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and many more.
“I think South Africa can come close. Their batting is very good. Batting-wise, they can chase anything,” Ali said while speaking on the ‘Beard Before Wicket’ podcast.
Another vote for South Africa
Adil Rashid also sounded similar in the debate. Like his compatriot, the English spinner also said that Team India can be defeated, and the West Indies has the firepower to do this job. Rashid took a focus on the batting line-up of the West Indies in support of his comments. Despite mentioning the West Indies, he also paid support for Ali’s choice, which was South Africa.
“I think it is something the West Indies can do if they chase. Because of the power they have got, they will feel comfortable chasing. India can put whatever on the board. I also think South Africa can. It’s not like they are unbeatable. “Their group is a tough group,” Adil Rashid said.
IND vs SA T20 World Cup rivalry in numbers
It is worth mentioning that all teams in Group 1 for the Super 8s have been unbeaten so far, and the four teams in Group 2 were the second-place holders of their respective groups. In the Super 8, India will have to face South Africa, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe.
From 2007 to 2024, since the inception of the T20 World Cup, India defeated South Africa five times in seven matches of T20 World Cup tournaments, while South Africa was defeated only in two occasions in the history of the competition.
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