Ahmedabad, Feb 22 – Left-arm fast-bowler Marco Jansen took 4 wickets for 22 as South Africa dominated with their bowling to defeat India by 76 runs in their Super Eights match at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. This defeat, in front of 90,954 fans, was India's first loss in an ICC tournament since the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the same venue.
After being reduced to 20/3 in the first four overs on a slow, hard pitch, the Proteas recovered thanks to David Miller and Dewald Brevis. Miller scored 63 off 35 balls, while Brevis made 45 – their 97-run partnership stabilized the innings.
Miller's dismissal slowed South Africa's momentum, and 39 runs came in overs 14-19, until Stubbs smashed four and two sixes off Hardik Pandya in the final over, giving South Africa 187/7 and an unbeaten total of 44 off 24 balls.
Jasprit Bumrah was the standout for India with 3-15, supported by Arshdeep Singh's 2-28, but the rest of the attack, including Varun Chakaravarthy (1-47), struggled to contain the Proteas' counter-attack. India's chase never gained momentum, as they were reduced to 51/5 before reaching the halfway mark.
Shivam Dube offered some resistance with 42, but the required run rate became too high, and India were all out for 111 in 18.5 overs. Besides Jansen's 4-22, Keshav Maharaj took 3-24, and Corbin Bosch claimed two wickets, while captain Aiden Markram had one in the opening over.
South Africa's victory was built on tactical discipline and precise execution – their bowlers, especially Lungi Ngidi, varied their pace effectively, exploited the ground dimensions, and prevented India's batsmen from settling in.
For India, the result was a setback, as their 12-match winning streak in T20 World Cups came to an abrupt end. The heavy defeat exposed weaknesses in their batting lineup, with the defending champions now needing to win their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies to stay in contention for the semi-finals, especially given their net run rate of -3.8.
South Africa's batting began poorly when Bumrah dismissed Quinton de Kock with a ball that went off the hand and hit the leg-side bail. With the ball slowing down, Arshdeep Singh was successful in dismissing Aiden Markram. Bumrah then deceived Ryan Rickelton with a slower ball, and the lofted shot was easily caught by mid-off.
Miller, who had played a lot of IPL cricket for Gujarat Titans, looked in good form from the start. With precise timing, Miller smashed sixes off Chakaravarthy and Arshdeep. From the other end, Brevis began his attack, scoring 11 runs off Washington Sundar's opening over.
With Chakaravarthy overpitching, Miller and Brevis easily hit sixes off him, with Brevis also scoring two sixes and a four off Shivam Dube. However, Dube proved to be the last batsman to fall, as Brevis mistimed a pull to deep mid-wicket. Miller then capitalized on his second free hit with a lofted drive over extra cover off Dube, scoring his fifty in 26 balls.
However, after Miller was caught at long-off against Chakaravarthy, Bumrah and Arshdeep bowled tight overs, keeping South Africa in check. While Arshdeep dismissed Marco Jansen at deep mid-wicket, Bumrah held onto a return chance given by Corbin Bosch. With an over-rate penalty in place, Stubbs managed to score 20 runs off the final over from Hardik, giving South Africa a competitive total.
India were in trouble from the start when Ishan Kishan attempted a slog against Aiden Markram, and the top edge went to cover, as South Africa's plan worked effectively. Marco Jansen then dismissed Tilak Varma with extra bounce, and the left-handed batter also fell victim to a review.
Abhishek Sharma briefly countered with a six and a four off Kagiso Rabada, after managing three ducks. However, his innings ended at 15 when Jansen deceived him with a knuckle ball, and the top edge was caught by mid-wicket.
Despite the dew, Markram rotated his bowlers smartly, ensuring India's batters never settled in. India promoted Washington Sundar to stabilize the innings, but this move backfired, as he only managed to give an outside edge behind off Corbin Bosch.
In his next over, Bosch struck again when Suryakumar Yadav miscued a whip to short mid-wicket, leaving India in tatters at 51/5 in 9.1 overs. The required run rate continued to rise, and Ngidi's variations further tightened the screws, leaving Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya struggling.
Pandya eventually fell, attempting to break free off Maharaj, but was caught at long-off. India continued to struggle, with Maharaj having Rinku Singh out for a duck, and Arshdeep Singh was dismissed via a hop and grab catch by long-on. Dube's late flourish with a few towering hits proved to be inconsequential, as South Africa had already secured the win.
Brief Scores: South Africa 187/7 in 20 overs (David Miller 63, Dewald Brevis 45; Jasprit Bumrah 3-15, Arshdeep Singh 2-28) beat India 111 all out in 18.5 overs (Shivam Dube 42, Hardik Pandya 18; Marco Jansen 4-22, Keshav Maharaj 3-24) by 76 runs
