Will India and South Africa meet in 2026 T20 World Cup final? Shukri Conrad hopes so | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad described his team’s tour of India as “a very successful one” and expressed hope that the two sides might meet again in the final of next year’s T20 World Cup.India, the defending T20 World Cup champions, will co-host the tournament with Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, having defeated the Proteas in a thrilling final in 2024.
“We’ve got some work to do still, there’s no doubt. But the good thing is that the boys have got a month of SA20 coming up and that will also be really good prep in honing their skills to ensure that when the West Indies arrive on our shores we’re ready for that,” Conrad told the media after the fifth T20I, which India won by 30 runs to clinch the five-match series 3-1.“… and then obviously the World Cup, that’s the big thing. So whilst we didn’t get the results we wanted here in the (T20I) series, I’d like to think this might be the World Cup’s finalists (of 2024) in the next World Cup as well. I really hope so,” he added.Conrad did not shy away from answering whether this was the best-ever Indian team, as the hosts extended their unbeaten home series run to 18 on Friday.“(India are a) helluva side. You need to be on top of your game all the time. The way they came out with the bat and constantly put bowlers under pressure from ball No 1… they have (also) got a few match-winners with the ball,” he said.“But to answer your question, I can’t think of a better side to be brutally honest so they must rank right up there,” Conrad added.The South African coach singled out Hardik Pandya, who smashed a 16-ball fifty — the second fastest half-century for any Indian in T20Is — as the difference between the two sides.“Taking nothing away from (Jasprit) Bumrah, I think Hardik has been the difference in the two teams,” he said.“His knock tonight was the difference between us winning and losing. He played a knock in the first one as well, where he just walked in and we had him in a little bit of trouble. Look, there’s a reason why he’s one of the best in the world in this format (and) his performances have been right up there. I don’t know who the man of the series is out there, but I’ll be very surprised if it’s not him,” he added.Conrad, who faced criticism during the second and final Test in Guwahati for using the word ‘grovel’, reflected on the learning experience of touring India.“It’s been a wonderful tour. We started off brilliantly with a Test series and then to take it to a decider in the one-dayers, and then we had an opportunity tonight to level the T20 series,” he said.South Africa began the tour on a high, winning their first Test series in India in 25 years, sweeping the hosts 2-0. However, the Proteas fell short in the white-ball leg, with India winning the ODI series 2-1 before sealing the T20I series 3-1.“(It is an) incredible place to come and tour. You learn a lot about yourself and obviously, the game and conditions. This last bit (T20I series) has been wonderful for us in terms of conditions that we’re going to experience in a few months’ time when we come here for the World Cup,” he said.“Obviously, you want to win every series you play in. They (India) are the world champions in this format for a reason. We’ve got to make sure that we come back in a few months’ time and try and topple them,” Conrad added.
