Keshav Maharaj: Proteas back themselves to topple giants in T20 World Cup Super Eights

Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj says they embrace being in a tough Super Eight group alongside defending champions India, two-time champions West Indies, and a spirited Zimbabwe team in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Having been pre-seeded in such a strong group, Maharaj reiterated that South Africa wouldn’t have it any other way, as they back themselves to progress to the next stage of the tournament.

After all, the Proteas themselves enjoyed a dominant outing during the group stage, beating Canada, Afghanistan, and New Zealand to finish at the top of Group D.

However, India also finished top of their group, as did the West Indies and Zimbabwe. In their first fixture of the Super Eight stage, South Africa are set to clash against the hosts, India, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The contest is a repeat of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, where South Africa were edged by India, narrowly missing out on what would have been the country’s first World Cup trophy. Going into Sunday’s contest, Maharaj acknowledged that South Africa’s group will pose a serious challenge.

“Looking at our group, the Super Eight group that we have ahead, it's a really strong group with India, West Indies, and Zimbabwe,” Maharaj said.

“Zimbabwe have done phenomenally well to be unbeaten in a group, and then West Indies as well. And obviously the hosts, India, the number one-ranked T20 team in the world right now. So no, we wouldn't have it any other way.

“I think in these tournaments, or in general, if you want to be the best, you've got to play against the best on a regular basis. So hopefully we come up strong in this group, starting from Sunday and putting our best foot forward.”

South Africa's search for the elusive World Cup trophy continues, and Sunday's fixture against India is the first step toward glory.

Proteas captain Aiden Markram and his troops will look to assert their dominance over an India team that remains the favourite to win the title. The encounter between the two teams is scheduled to start at 3.30pm SA time.