India vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 highlights: India hit roadblock in Super 8; lose by 76 runs in Ahmedabad

Suryakumar Yadav | Indian skipper: I feel we were always in the game when we started. I think we bowled really well in the beginning, 21 for 3, and the way they batted after that from 7 to 15, I think they batted really well, and then we came back again in the game later on. Overall, if we see, we bowled really well, but we could have batted a little better. My thing is sometimes you’ve got to think, if you’re chasing 180-185, you can’t win the game in the powerplay, but you might lose the game in the powerplay. We lost too many wickets in the powerplay and then we couldn’t have small, small partnerships which we wanted for chasing 180-185, but that’s part of the game. We learn from it, we’ll sit back and then come back stronger. I think everyone knows their combination (Bumrah-Arshdeep) has been very lethal. Both of them have played together. If you see today also, both of them bowled eight overs, picked around five wickets and gave around 45-50 runs. If I’m not wrong, I’m not good with numbers. But they bowled really well in partnership and that’s what we want from them. Both are experienced and it’s good to have both of them in our side. Hopefully bat well, bowl well and field well (Talking about the plans for the next game vs Zimbabwe). That’s it. We’ll try and keep it simple, play the same brand of cricket which we want to play and nothing changes. I think we’ll come back strong.

This was India’s first defeat in 18 matches in ICC events across formats. India's last loss in an ICC event came at this same venue against Australia in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. This was also India's first defeat in a multi-nation T20I tournaments since losing to England in the semifinal of 2022 T20 World Cup.

David Miller | Player of the Match: I think you’re always behind the eight ball there and it’s just about making sure you stick to your strengths. You don’t want to go into your shell. You want to play good cricket shots but be nice and selective. Getting in that powerplay there with the fielders all in the ring, it was quite nice to get a couple over the fielders. And then Brevis was batting really well all the way through. Stubbs too, I think it was just about extending that partnership as much as we could. We’re all boundary strikers, but it’s about making sure you rotate the strike well. I think with the nature of this ground, you actually want to look straight. It’s smaller straight than square, so you want to shape up to be hitting straight and then react accordingly. It wasn’t spinning too much in the first innings, so just looking to be nice and aggressive to the spinners and chip it away where you can. They’re (India) a serious setup, some really world-class bowlers there. It’s something we spoke about a lot. We’ve played against them a lot as well, so it’s about matching the intensity, if not raising it against their bowlers and putting them under pressure. They are good bowlers, but they do bowl bad balls, so it’s about making sure you’re in a position to capitalise.

Not just the loss, a massive dip in NRR will hurt India. Shivam Dube fought hard with a 37-ball 42. Jasprit Bumrah is the last man out as India are all out for 111 in 18.5 overs while chasing South Africa's 187/7. This is India's first loss in T20 World Cup 2026.

OUTTT!!! Nothing is going towards India's way in Ahmedabad. Things are going to bad to worse for the Men in Blue. Three in the over for Keshav Maharaj. It was Hardik Pandya first, who was brilliantly caught by Tristan Stubbs at the boundary. Two balls later, its Rinku Singh who perishes without scoring. The crowd is shell shocked. Arshdeep Singh holes out to the same fielder.

IND 88/8 (1)

OUTTT!!! This is complete disaster from India. The Indian captain goes across the crease and tries to hit on the leg side. The ball hits the toe end of his bat only to go straight into the hands of Dewald Brevis. SKY can't believe it. Fifth wicket down for India. Corbin Bosch gets his second of the day. Hardik Pandya joins Shivam Dube.

IND 51/5 (9.1)

OUTTT!!!! Nothing is working right for India as the hosts lose their fourth wicket. Corbin Bosch strikes as Washington Sundar edges to Quinton de Kock. Shivam Dube come into the crease. IND 43/4 (7.2)

OUTTT!!!!! More misery for India. Abhishek Sharma, trying to go over the top, perishes after 15. The ball goes high up in the air with Keshav Maharaj and Corbin Bosch going to the catch. It was Bosch, who finally takes the catch despite the two players collide. Big blow for India. Washington Sundar comes out at no.5. IND 27-3 (4.4)

Fourth bowling change for Aiden Markram as Lungi Ngidi comes into the attack. Just three runs come from the fourth over. In fact, in the T20 World Cup 2026, only once India have got to double digit opening wicket stand. IND 26/2 (4)

Quite deliberate from Abhishek Sharma. After playing three dots, Abhishek was waiting for a short-pitched delivery. Kagiso Rabada bowls short and Abhishek just opens the face of the bat to upper cut the delivery for a six. He finishes the over with a four off a full toss on the off-side. 10 runs come from the over. IND 23/2 (3)

Terrible start for India in the chase. After Ishan Kishan was dismissed in the first over by Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen gets better Tilak Varma. Jansen is ecstatic. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma finally opened his innings in the T20 World Cup with a four off Markram. Suryakumar Yadav starts off with a couple of boundaries.

IND 13/2 (2)

Tristan Stubbs ends on a high for South Africa with two back-to-back sixes and four. Stubbs finishes with 24-ball 44 as South Africa finish at 187/7 in 20 overs.

OUTTT!!!! Third wicket for Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pacer bowls a yorker in the blockhole. Corbin Bosch jams it and the ball goes straight to Bumrah. India opt to DRS, which shows the its caught and bowled. SA 167-7 (19)

OUTTTT!!!! Another South African bites the dust. Arshdeep Singh returns in his second spell and strikes straightaway. Marco Jansen tries to go over long on, but is caught by Rinku Singh. A score which was once looking to go over 200 is tough now. Can Tristan Stubbs and Corbin Bosch take their team over 200?

SA 164-6 (18)

OUTTTT!!! That's the wicket India and Varun Chakaravarthy wanted. David Miller, trying to go over the top once again, holes out to Tilak Varma at long-off. This was after Miller had hit Chakaravarthy for a six in the over. Miller goes back for 63 off 35 balls. SA 152-5 (16)

From being at 20/3 in the fourth over, South Africa hae made a remarkable comeback to be at 144/4 in the 15th over. What a turnaround it has been for the Proteas with David Miller leading the way with a half century. Interestingly, India's strike bowler Varun Chakaravarthy went for 39 runs in his first three overs.

OUTTTT!!!!! Finally the partnership is broken as Shivam Dube strikes after being hit for a six in the previous ball. The short of a length delivery works for India and Dube as Dewald Brevis holes out to Abhishek Sharma. Brevis walks back 45 off 29 balls. The 97-run stand is broken. Fifty for David Miller in style. SA 12/4 (13)

There is no stopping Dewald Brevis and David Miller as the Indian bowlers are finding it hard to break the stand. After Miller, Brevis has shifted his gears with a six and a four off Shivam Dube's first over. South Africa have punched back after losing three wickets inside the powerplay. 100 comes up for South Africa.

SA 111/3 (12)

BANGGG!!!! Certainly Varun Chakaravarthy is not at his best today. After David Miller smashed a maximum in the second ball of the over, Dewald Brevis takes the Indian spinner to cleaners with a four and a six off consecutive balls. Certainly, Brevis and Miller is reviving South Africa. The partnership has crossed 50. SA 73/3 (9)

Washington Sundar comes on to bowl. The off-spinner, who was preferred in place of Axar Patel, starts by conceding three fours. The partnership between Dewald Brevis and David Miller has reached 33 off just 20 balls and the Indian need to break the stand.

SA 52-3 (7)