ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: ‘Pressure Handling Will Decide Winner, India Has Home Advantage,’ Says Former South Africa Star Jonty Rhodes | VIDEO

Mumbai, Jan 24: Former South Africa great Jonty Rhodes feels the team that can handle pressure the best will triumph at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starting next month, but said India certainly have the home advantage.

Speaking at trophy unveiling

The South Africa legend was speaking on the sidelines of the unveiling of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy at the Brew District at the Lollapalooza Music Festival here on Saturday.

“It’s so interesting. I mean, the South African teams had a few injuries, they’ve had to change a team. There’s so much cricket happening globally that quite a few of the squads are having similar issues. But with 20 teams at this T20 World Cup, I reckon there are probably eight on any given day that can put their hand up and say, ‘We can win this World Cup.’ So try and predict four of them.”

India’s home advantage

Rhodes felt the home ground advantage was certainly there for India.

“I mean, India, you’ve got home ground advantage. But we’ve seen that doesn’t always work. There’s no guarantee for success, but it does play a big part. It’s got to be the team that can handle the pressure on the day. Because that’s what T20 cricket is about. It’s about high-intensity moments. And those players, not just the most talented ones, but the ones that can kind of calm down, deal with each ball on its merit, make the right decisions — and that’s where you win and lose trophies,” he added.

On Bangladesh’s exclusion

With the ICC ousting Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup owing to the latter’s refusal to play their matches in India, Rhodes felt it was a tough call but said he could understand the situation, recalling South Africa’s apartheid-era experience.

“I think it’s tough. You know, I come from a background of apartheid-era South Africa, where sport and politics had to mix, and because of that we were forced to change. Political and sporting sanctions were imposed upon the minority government. And eventually we changed. And at the right time, for me, the 1992 Cricket World Cup came about when we were not yet a democracy. So, you know, I’ve seen politics and sport. And everyone talks, ‘Oh, you can’t mix the two.’ But sometimes it does,” the legendary fielder explained.

“So, difficult. You know, it’s a tough decision. I feel really sad and hard done by the Bangladesh players. You know, the T20 World Cup is such a platform to showcase your skills. And their cricket has obviously grown. And T20 cricket brings everyone down to a similar level. You know, Test cricket, 50 overs even — your top four or five teams in the world can dominate. But in T20, there are a lot of teams out there who can cause a hiccup. And Bangladesh is certainly one of those. So, sad not to have them. But I understand.”

Praise for Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership

Rhodes quipped on a lighter note that India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav will play a key role on the field.

“Well, as long as SKY keeps taking those catches inside the boundary in the last over, India should be good. You know, I think we’ve seen with his captaincy, there’s always pressure on an Indian captain, and it’s slightly affected his performance. It’s good to see some of his knocks recently against New Zealand. And what I do like about his captaincy, though, is that he’s calm and measured. He’s not someone that gets carried away.

“Because T20 cricket has those high-intensity moments. And if you can slow it down and breathe and make more good choices than bad ones, that impacts the team. If you’re all panicking and change your mind every ball that is bowled, it unsettles the side. So, I think the team on the day that is able to make those choices often benefits from good captaincy,” he added.

“So, SKY has that sort of temperament. He can lead with a calm mind.”

High praise for Abhishek Sharma

Rhodes also had words of praise for Team India’s batting sensation Abhishek Sharma.

“We’ve seen his experience, just in what he’s brought in the IPLs and playing for India in various parts of the world, not just in India. He really does — for a little guy, no disrespect — strike the ball incredibly. You know, he obviously played with someone like Heinrich Klaasen in the IPL.

“You see this one stocky guy who hits the ball miles, and then you see this little left-hander who smacks it just as far. He’s got great timing, great technique and real belief. In T20 cricket, when you open the batting, you’re going to have some good days and bad days. But as long as that belief stays constant, he will make a real impression on this tournament.”

On South Africa shedding ‘chokers’ tag

The former Proteas cricketer defended South Africa’s age-old criticism of being ‘chokers’ and felt they may have turned a corner with the World Test Championship trophy win in 2025 under Temba Bavuma’s captaincy.

“But I think it has shown South Africans how close they got to the last T20 World Cup, you know, in the final. SKY’s catch on the boundary was awesome. If that had gone for a six, David Miller, I reckon, would have finished the game in two balls — 6-4.

“You know, Hardik then came back and took, you know, three wickets in the over, two wickets. So it’s that close. Those are the margins.

“And it’s a case of can South Africa put it behind them, their last performance in the T20 World Cup, and just go, ‘Okay, hold on. We have an ICC trophy.’ It might be the five-day Test, but it’s still a trophy,” he concluded.

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