In a shocking turn of events, defending champion India suffered its first defeat of the current T20 World Cup, falling to South Africa by 76 runs in the Super Eight Group 1 clash.
Chasing a target of 187 for victory, India was bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs. The loss was compounded by an early setback, as openers Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma both fell quickly after rushing shots against Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen, respectively.
South Africa’s innings was anchored by a solid partnership between Quinton de Kock and David Miller. Markram, who won the toss and elected to bat, saw his team start strongly, with de Kock hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a four before being dismissed off the very next ball. Markram himself was caught off Arshdeep Singh, and Ryan Rickelton followed shortly after, leaving the Proteas at 20 for three.
Despite the early setbacks, David Miller’s commanding 63 and aggressive batting helped South Africa recover. Miller’s powerful hitting, along with Dewald Brevis’s contributions, propelled the visitors to a competitive total.
In the Indian bowling attack, Jasprit Bumrah made history by breaking R. Ashwin’s record for the most wickets by an Indian in T20 World Cup matches during this game at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
India’s chase never gathered momentum, with the team reaching 42 for 3 after 7 overs. Suryakumar Yadav and Washington Sundar stabilized the innings with steady batting, including a six in the seventh over, but the required run rate proved too steep to overcome.
This marked the sixth meeting between the two teams in just two months, highlighting the intense rivalry and familiarity as both sides prepare for the remainder of the tournament.
