South Africa (187/7 in 20 ov) beat India (111-all out) by 76 runs in Super 8 clash in Ahmedabad
Under the bright lights of Ahmedabad, the sense of deja vu was impossible to ignore. Back then, on November 19, 2023, India’s unbeaten march had ended in heartbreak against Australia in the ODI World Cup final. On Sunday night, another flawless run met the same fate. South Africa halted India’s 12-match winning streak in the T20 World Cup, inflicting their first defeat in the tournament since the 10-wicket semi-final loss to England, and doing so with authority.
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It had been 826 days since India last lost a match in an ICC white-ball event, a run that featured 17 consecutive wins and two titles. But the return to the Narendra Modi Stadium for their Super Eights opener proved uncomfortable. South Africa opted to bat and, despite slipping to 20 for 3, recovered impressively to post 187.
With heavy dew expected to ease the chase, India were put under pressure for the first time in the tournament. The response never came. Their batting, so often the cornerstone of their dominance, faltered as South Africa’s bowlers maintained discipline and control. India were bowled out for 111, falling 76 runs short in a result that could have significant net run-rate implications. Clinical with the ball and composed after early setbacks with the bat, South Africa outplayed India in all departments, a commanding Super 8 statement that brought the hosts back down to earth.
INSIPID INDIA OUTPLAYED
The one-dimensional “attack at all costs” template of India’s batting unit was thoroughly exposed as the hosts failed their first big test against South Africa. The pattern of dismissals felt eerily familiar. A left-hander fell for a duck to off-spin in the opening over, this time Ishan Kishan undone by Aiden Markram for a four-ball duck. Three deliveries later, Tilak Varma charged Marco Jansen and edged onto his pads. The review confirmed it, and India were rattled early. Abhishek Sharma, though he got off the mark for the tournament, never looked settled and eventually holed out after a series of plays and misses.
Suryakumar Yadav attempted to counterattack, carving Jansen for two boundaries, while Abhishek briefly found rhythm, driving Markram for four and upper-cutting Kagiso Rabada for six. The momentum, however, was fleeting. Corbin Bosch struck at a crucial juncture, dismissing Abhishek for 15 off 12 before removing Washington Sundar, whose promotion up the order yielded 11. Bosch then accounted for Suryakumar, who mistimed a pick-up to short midwicket. At 51 for 5, with their captain scoring 18 off 22, India were in deep trouble.
The required rate climbed rapidly. A sixth-wicket stand of 30 off 23 balls only added to the pressure. Hardik Pandya’s attempt to accelerate ended with a first-ball dismissal, caught at long-off by Tristan Stubbs off Keshav Maharaj. At 86 for 6 in 14.1 overs, the equation had spiraled to nearly three runs a ball.
Rinku Singh fell for a two-ball duck, and Maharaj tightened the screws with a decisive over, claiming three wickets. Arshdeep Singh’s charge down the track ended in another catch in the deep, underlining South Africa’s sharp fielding. Earlier, Jansen had struck with his first delivery, while Lungi Ngidi’s slower balls proved difficult to line up. Ngidi, though wicketless, was outstanding, conceding just 15 runs from his four overs to stifle any hopes of a revival. South Africa did not concede a partnership beyond 35.
Shivam Dube offered the lone resistance, top-scoring with a 37-ball 42, but the effort was not enough to prevent a heavy defeat.
MILLER, STUBBS RESCUE SA
David Miller turned back time with a breathtaking 63 off 35 balls, but Jasprit Bumrah’s spell of precision and poise ensured South Africa were kept to 187 for 7 in a high-stakes Super Eights clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
On the eve of his 37th birthday, Miller blended experience with audacity, finding an able ally in the fearless Dewald Brevis, who struck 45 off 29 balls. Their rescue act was badly needed after Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh had ripped through the top order, reducing the Proteas to 20 for 3 inside four overs. Bumrah finished with remarkable figures of 3 for 15 in his four overs, while Arshdeep chipped in with 2 for 28, setting the platform for India’s control.
Bumrah’s opening burst was a masterclass in new-ball bowling. He struck twice in his first two overs, conceding just seven runs and forcing South Africa onto the back foot. When he returned at the death, in the 17th and 19th overs, he was just as unyielding, giving away only eight more runs and claiming another wicket. In all, he bowled 12 dot balls, the equivalent of two maiden overs in the shortest format, strangling momentum just when the innings threatened to break free.
Yet Miller and Brevis refused to retreat. They launched a spirited counter-attack, stitching together 97 runs in just 8.2 overs and shifting the tempo dramatically. Their assault on Varun Chakravarthy was particularly striking. Reading his variations early, they stayed deep in the crease, trusted their balance and used nimble footwork to manufacture the extra split-second needed to clear the boundary. Chakravarthy, who ended with 1 for 47, found little respite as the pair dictated terms.
Both batters cleared the ropes three times. One of Miller’s most memorable blows came off Hardik Pandya, a flat, thunderous strike that rocketed into the long-on stands. He brought up his fifty in just 26 deliveries, celebrating with a slashed six off Shivam Dube. Brevis, equally fluent, eventually fell to Dube’s clever change of pace, mistiming a cross-batted swipe as the surface began to reward truer stroke play.
The finishing touches were applied by Tristan Stubbs, who remained unbeaten on 44 off 24 balls. Calm and calculating before exploding at the end, he smashed two towering sixes off the final two deliveries from Pandya, propelling South Africa beyond the 185 mark and giving the total a formidable edge.
With this mammoth loss, India’s road to the semi-finals has suddenly taken a winding turn. With Zimbabwe awaiting in Chennai and West Indies in Kolkata, there is little margin for error. The net run-rate blow has tightened the equation, and any further stumble in either city could cut short their title defence much earlier than they would have imagined.
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