TimesofIndia.com in Durban: No team has managed to defend their T20 World Cup title yet and India will face a stiff challenge in the upcoming tournament in front of their home crowd. While the added pressure of playing in front of a home crowd will test them, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith says he would be surprised if India fail to reach the last four, noting an “interesting transition phase in Indian cricket.““Listen, with India’s talent, you can never write them off. It’s a home World Cup. And it does seem an interesting transition phase in Indian cricket, you know, between Gautam (Gambhir) and senior players and, you know, who’s next and how that transition happens. And it seems to be in an interesting place. So, it’s going to be good to watch how things go. But certainly from a talent perspective, India, if they’re not in the last four at least, I’ll be very surprised,” adds Smith.
The start of the 2026 T20 World Cup is less than a month away and Smith wants his team to beat India in the final of the multi-nation tournament. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing SA20, league commissioner Smith said the Proteas have all bases covered with their squad.“Obviously, I’d like us to beat India in the final, you know (laughs)… I think if Shukri and the team can get their combinations right, I think there’s a real opportunity that the team can do very well. And, you know, I think there’s enough quality of ability to play spin there as well in that middle order, particularly in India. So, let’s hope, you know, that there will be a good World Cup around the corner,” says Smith in a select media interaction.
During the India Day of the SA20 last year, Smith had mentioned how he wants South Africa to beat India in the Test series. The Proteas not only achieved that but outplayed India across all departments, securing a historic 2-0 series win. Smith admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the team’s dominant performance in both matches.“We know it’s a tough place to go on tour. I was really surprised by how dominant we were in the test series. That really did surprise me. But it was brilliant. I mean, the test side over the last year, year and a half, has really been the beacon of light, you know, from a national team perspective. It’s been brilliant. Temba (Bavuma), Shukri (Conrad), you know, have done wonders. Hopefully, it continues,” adds Smith.The SA20 is now in its fourth season and Smith feels it’s the right platform for local players looking to make a name for themselves. Citing the example of Nqobani Mokoena, the former opener says there are enough opportunities for the players to put their name in the global hat.“Well, I think if you want to push for place in the South African team and you’re not in the kind of first 15 or 16 of names, this is the platform to do it. I think, you know, we’ve seen now, if you take IPL, I think last year we had 17 or 18 players from South Africa playing in the IPL. That’s the most international. And I think (that’s) because of the platform of, you know, SA20. So, I think if you’re a young player like Mokoena, no one knew about him until a few games ago.“So, now there’s these opportunities for players to put their name in the global hat. When I was playing, you had to play for South Africa to be seen. You know, domestic cricket never got noticed around the world. Now you’ve got a product that everyone globally is looking at and saying, oh, there’s some real talent around. You know, so I think if you want to push for places, this is the tournament to do it,” concludes Smith.
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