South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad has responded to questions surrounding his team’s frequent changes to the playing XI during the ongoing T20I series against India. His remarks come after the Proteas made three alterations to their lineup for the second T20I, a move that paid rich dividends as they registered a commanding 51 run victory. With the third T20I scheduled for December 14, Conrad clarified that the constant reshuffling should not be mistaken for uncertainty. Instead, he stressed that every decision is part of a broader plan aimed at long term goals.
Speaking ahead of the third match, Conrad said
“It might look as if we’re slightly unsure given the amount of changes we make every match. But it’s certainly not changes for the sake of being changes,”
He further revealed that South Africa already have a clear picture of their squad heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup, adding that workload management has played a key role in team selection.
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“We have a pretty good idea of what our World Cup squad will be like. Again, it’s really just managing players. There are a few guys that have been here since the Test Series. And then we’ve also got SA20 after this. So really just about managing players. And then also giving everybody a good run. See what works here, what doesn’t work. But yeah, we’re pretty clear in terms of what we want,” he added.
Conrad also spoke about South Africa’s approach for the upcoming match, explaining that the team has not set any rigid batting targets. Instead, the focus remains on adapting to conditions and delivering balanced performances, particularly from the all rounders.
“I think sometimes you come to a ground where historically the scores are quite high and you feel that you need to be pitching at a certain mark and then you find yourself in a little bit of trouble,” Conrad stated.
“So again, we certainly don’t have any specific target in mind in terms of where we want to reach as a batting unit. But we’re pretty confident in our all-round game,” he further added.
Series level at 1-1
The T20I series between India and South Africa is currently evenly poised at 1 1. India dominated the opening encounter with a massive 101 run win, but South Africa bounced back strongly in the second match with a 51 run victory of their own. With momentum swinging both ways, the third T20I will decide which side takes a crucial 2 1 lead in the series.