Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has backed India to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026 final despite their heavy loss against South Africa. The Men in Blue had won all of their four matches in the group stage but they were stunned by 76 runs against the Proteas.
Suryakumar Yadav’s team was bowled out for 111 runs in the run chase of 188 as they could not come up with a collective batting effort. India had won the last 12 matches on the trot in the T20 World Cup but they were not at their best against the Proteas and thus had to pay the price.
Clarke said it was a big win for South Africa as beating India in Indian conditions is a tough ask.
“For South Africa to beat the favourites in their own backyard—wow!, that’s a huge game for them and a huge victory. Now the pressure is on this Indian team, which is going to be great to see. To me, they’re still the best team. They’re the best T20 team in the world, playing in conditions they know so well. So I’m still backing them to make the final, but things change now after losing that game to South Africa,” Clarke said on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
The 2015 World Cup-winning captain expects India to beat Zimbabwe comprehensively but expects a tough contest against the West Indies.
“You definitely expect them to beat Zimbabwe—and again, no disrespect to Zimbabwe. They deserve to be in the Super 8—but I expect India to beat them comfortably. The one that’s going to be an absolute beauty is against the West Indies. The West Indies are playing their best cricket at the moment. They are strutting. They have got a brilliant team and they believe in themselves. I think that game could be the one that dictates which second team qualifies from that group,” Clarke said.
The former Australian batter said it would be huge if India fails to qualify for the summit clash.
“If India don’t qualify… you’d be absolutely fuming if you are an Indian cricket fan, and you would be surprised. They’re currently the best team in the world, and they’re playing in conditions they know so well. It would be huge if India didn’t qualify. I would not—you’d be stupid to—write India off, not only to qualify but also to be in that final,” Clarke added.
India will next take on Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Thursday.
