South Africa maintained their dominance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 as the Proteas went a step closer to the knockouts with a 76-run win over defending champions India in a Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. With this loss, India’s 12-game unbeaten streak in the T20 World Cup also ended.
David Miller (63) rolled back the years with a stroke-filled fifty while Dewald Brevis (45) and Tristan Stubbs (44 not out) also contributed as South Africa posted 187/7 in 20 overs. In reply, India were all out for 111 in 18.5 overs with Marco Jansen taking 4/22. Keshav Maharaj grabbed 3/24, while Corbin Bosch (2/12) also gave crucial breakthroughs.
With this win, South Africa are atop Group 1 with two points while India languish at the bottom. West Indies and Zimbabwe are the two other teams in the group. For India, they need to win big in the rest two games to have a chance to qualify for the semifinals.
The defeat, India’s first since the semi-final loss to England in the 2022 edition, has left the group wide open and make their next two games against Zimbabwe (February 26) and West Indies (March 1) literally must-win games in order to qualify for the last four stage.
India’s early domination
Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh gave India the best possible start with the wickets of Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. While Bumrah was the first to get a breakthrough by cleaning up De Kock; Markram and Rickelton holed out to Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube respectively. South Africa were 20/3 in the fourth over.
Match-changing stand
The loss of three wickets didn’t bother the South Africans as Dewald Brevis and David Miller counterpunched with a 97-run stand in 51 balls for the fourth wicket. While Brevis played the anchor’s role, it was Miller who called the shots. Miller completed his fifty in 26 balls.
Tristan Stubbs’ finishing touch
India did pull things back towards the end of the South African innings but Stubbs’ two sixes and a four in the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya, saw the Proteas near the 190-run mark.
Disastrous start by India
In reply, India were never in chase. While four victories on the trot in the group stage papered over the visible lacunae, the Indian batters totally faltered on a slightly sluggish surface. South African skipper Aiden Markram made the job easier by removing Ishan Kishan (0) in the first over.
Tilak Varma’s (1) approach towards batting in the whole tourney had been faulty and he lasted only two balls. Abhishek Sharma (15) got his first World Cup runs but he is completely out of sorts and it took one pace-off knuckle ball from India’s nemesis Marco Jansen to sort him out.
Shivam Dube fights lone battle
As wickets continued to fall at the other end, Shuvam Dube tried his best with a 42 but lacked support at the other end. Captain Suryakumar Yadav struggled to get his shots while Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh perished in the same over.
