India and South Africa lock horns in arguably the biggest blockbuster contest of the T20 World Cup Super 8s, at the Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad.
The two finalists from the previous edition have romped to the knockouts, and as well as they have played with four wins in four each, either of them will enter do-or-die territory should they taste defeat on 22nd February.
Toss to play a huge factor in high stakes encounter
Barring Abhishek Sharma - who has recorded three ducks this tournament and five overall this calendar year - all of India's squad has chipped in with moments in what has been a well-packaged group stage journey for the hosts.
In fact, a net run rate (NRR) of 2.50 in the preliminary round telegraphs India's dominance, having brushed aside Netherlands, Pakistan, Namibia and USA - all while batting first.
Tomorrow's game will be played on a black soil wicket, which historically, has favored chasing as the ball meets the bat better under lights in the second innings. With temperatures primed to touch 35 degrees Celsius and the dew factor inevitable, it begs the question whether skipper Suryakumar Yadav would change the winning formula.
Lying in wait are the Proteas, who dominated much of the final between the two teams when they last met, before eventually falling seven runs short.
They are no strangers to these conditions either, having won thrice already here. As recently as last week, they took down an upbeat New Zealand side, comfortably cantering to a 175 run chase in 17.1 overs, issuing a warning to the rest of the table.
India hold a 5-2 record in T20 World Cups against them, and this burgeoning rivalry in the shortest format seems set for another compelling chapter.
Total Runs - Away Team, Over 1 - 6.5+
Wicketless against Netherlands and 1/36 versus Namibia are slightly concerning returns for a player of Arshdeep Singh's caliber. The left-armer scalped 17 wickets in eight matches when India clinched their second T20 World Cup crown, but has just three wickets this campaign.
Combine that with Aiden Markram's form.
The South Africa captain leads the charge from the get-go, striking at a whopping 187.36, and has 24 fours to himself. He is averaging nearly 60 this World Cup.
His partner, Quinton de Kock is no stranger to taking on the new ball. And with a carpet-like outfield in Ahmedabad, slotting a couple away in the first over shouldn't be a problem.
The latest India vs South Africa T20 World Cup odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Top Wicket Taker (India) - Varun Chakravarthy
The enigmatic Varun Chakravarthy continues to outfox batters in an era enveloped around monitors and an overload of data.
In just 12 overs from four matches, the spinner has claimed nine victims. He prizes a wicket for every eight runs he concedes, and is one of the meanest operators going around - with an economy of 5.17 to show for it this World Cup.
And South Africa's struggles against Chakravarthy are well-documented. He's taken at least two wickets every time he has played them, and averages 8.00 against them.
Suryakumar Yadav simply has to toss the ball to his trump card, and it's likely he'll change the game on its head.
