India and South Africa will be again standing against each other on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This time for a Super 8 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
The memories of the T20 World Cup 2024 are still fresh among the cricket fans, and perhaps among the cricketers as well. But Quinton de Kock clearly said that they are not fond of recollecting painful moments.
India won the final of 2024 T20 WC defeating South Africa
In the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, it was another India vs South Africa clash. The Proteas were very close to breaking their trophy jinx in the ICC events. Experienced David Miller was there in the middle during the closing moments of the match as well.
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But it was the Men in Blue who snatched the silverware right in front of the Aiden Markram-led side. India won the match in the final over of the summit clash by 7 runs and left South Africa heartbroken.
Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli turned the table
On June 29, 2024, at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, Bridgetown, India went to bat first after winning the toss. Powered by Virat Kohli’s 76 and Axar Patel‘s 47, India posted 176 for 7 in 20 overs, which was not among the best totals posted by the team.
In the second innings, Quinton de Kock (39) provided South Africa a strong start. Later, Heinrich Klaasen (52) and Tristan Stubbs (31) drove the team near to the finish line. In the crucial phase of the run chase, Hardik Pandya took the matter on his shoulder and picked up a couple of wickets in the form of Klaasen and Miller; both of them were set batters. Miller’s departure left South Africa without any proper batter on the pitch, and they eventually lost the match by only a few inches.
We just forgot about it: Quinton de Kock
After the match, more than a year has passed away; teams went through ups and downs and transition phases as well. But the South Africans are maintaining their mentality—leave the bad memories behind, and move forward.
“To be honest, after that game, we just forgot about it. In all honesty, none of us wanted to speak about it. We went home and went through our own processes about how to deal with it. That’s pretty much it. We have never really spoken about it,” Quinton De Kock said in the pre-match press conference of their upcoming fixture with India.
The upcoming match is equally crucial for both of the teams. The winner of the match will increase their chances to play in the semifinals by a few marks, while for the losing side, the remaining two matches will be must-win events to stay in the title race.
