Du Plessis lauds WI spin duo, but SA, India will be 'real test'

Faf du Plessis praised WI spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie for their 7-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup but warned that their real test will come against the batting lineups of South Africa and India in upcoming matches.

Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis praised West Indies spin duo of Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie for their performance against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup, but believes bowling against South Africa and India will be the real test for the two spinners.

Hosein and Motie together took seven wickets for 56 runs from their eight overs as West Indies registered a commanding 107-run victory over Zimbabwe in their first Super 8 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

Du Plessis's Analysis

"I saw them in South Africa. And I have played a lot of cricket with and against both of them. Amazing spinners. If there's a little bit of something in the wicket, both of them [will exploit it]. But the test will come now when they play against a lot of lefties in India, how're they going to respond to that, and South Africa played both of them really well in South Africa [in the T20I series in January this year]," du Plessis said as per ESPNcricinfo.

West Indies Dominate Zimbabwe

West Indies posted a colossal 254/6 in 20 overs, second only to Sri Lanka's 260/6 against Kenya in the 2007 T20 World Cup. This is also the second time a team has crossed the 250-run mark in the T20 World Cup history. This was also the highest T20I totals against Zimbabwe, bettering India's 234/2 at Harare in 2024.

Hosein, bowled in the powerplay, and had two wickets under his belt by the end of it. He finished with 3 for 28.

Motie stormed in after the power play, snatching Dion Myers' wicket in his first over. He went on to take 4 for 28, bagging Raza and Tashinga Musekiwa in consecutive balls.

Upcoming Fixtures

West Indies play South Africa in Ahmedabad on Thursday and India in Kolkata on Sunday. (ANI)

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