AHMEDABAD: India will be chasing for the first time at this World Cup. That was the big news at the toss when Aiden Markram had no hesitation in batting first. Their decision of batting first would have obviously been influenced by the lack of dew not just over the last nights but they have also spent a lot of time in the city over the last two weeks.
This is of course their fourth match at the new Motera. This venue typically sees a lot of due in the Indian Premier League (IPL) so sides have generally opted to bowl first. Maybe Markram thinks that with some cracks on the surface, spin could play more of a role when he has the ball in the second innings.
At the toss, Markram added that he doesn't expect the black soil surface to be tacky, at least to begin with. One major call from an Indian perspective is that Axar Patel continues to miss out. Washington Sundar, preferred to the left-arm spinner in the last group game against The Netherlands, retains his place.
Patel has enjoyed a positive match-up over Markram so there were some legitimate calls to bring back the local boy but Sundar, who can also operate in the powerplay, retains the faith of the team management.
Apart from that, the hosts, who enjoyed a big 3-1 in the five-match T20I series against the same opposition to close out 2025 (one match was washed out), have kept their faith in the likes of Abhishek Sharma, the southpaw yet to get off the mark in the World Cup.
How South Africa's batters go about their business in the powerplay -- Markram has genuinely led from the front in this regard -- could set the contest up, at least in the first innings.
The city, hosting its first Super Eights match of the tournament, will expect more and more fans to walk through the turnstiles as the match wears on. At the time of toss, though, there were a vast number of empty seats throughout the cavernous Stadium.
