South Africa crushed India, handing them a 76-run defeat in Group Aโs first clash in the ongoing Super Eights of the T20 World Cup 2026. Batting first, the Proteas were put under pressure as they were reduced to 20/3 in the powerplay. However, David Miller and Dewald Brevis rescued the team with a long-standing partnership of 97 runs as South Africa posted 187 runs on the board in the first innings.
Miller, in particular, changed the complexion of the game, putting India on the backfoot. He smacked 63 runs off 35 balls as the veteran dominated the middle overs, which proved to be Indiaโs biggest strength in the past two years. Brevis played the role of a second fiddle, adding 45. Towards the fag end, Tristan Stubbs brought the fireworks, playing an unbeaten knock of 44 runs off 24 balls.
As the conditions improved for the batter, India were expected to take the game deep. However, they lost wickets at regular intervals, which made things difficult. The Men in Blue were reduced to 51/5 at one stage and since then, Shivam Dube took over and played an important knock of 42 runs but with little support from the other end, he couldnโt take the team home. Marco Jansen was the star with the ball, claiming four wickets, while Keshav Maharaj picked three.
I think we will come back strong: Suryakumar
After the game, when Suryakumar was asked about the improvements India need to get back to winning ways, the captain clarified that they need to get better in all three fronts.
โHopefully bat well, bowl well and field well. Thatโs it. Weโll try and keep it simple, play the same brand of cricket which we want to play and nothing changes. I think weโll come back strong,โ Suryakumar said in the post-match presentation.ย
India will play Zimbabwe next on Thursday, February 26 and then against West Indies on March 1 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Also Read: