South Africa ended India’s 12-match winning streak at the T20 World Cup with a crushing 76-run win in Ahmedabad on Sunday in the opening Group 1 Super Eights match.
After a counter-attacking 63 by David Miller and some late hitting from Tristan Stubbs took South Africa to 187-7, the defending champions were all out for 111 in 18.5 overs, failing badly in their first chase of the tournament.
Left-arm quick Marco Jansen finished with 4-22, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 as the South African bowlers exposed India’s fragile batting line-up.
Hot favourites to defend their crown on home soil, India will need to win their two remaining Super Eight games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to have a chance of qualifying.
But the magnitude of the defeat means they will take a poor net run rate forward and that could prove pivotal if their Super Eights group is tight.
Both teams were unbeaten in group phase and the game was a rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados, which India won.
India’s unbeaten run in the tournament had stretched back to their defeat in the semi-final against eventual winners England in 2022.
South Africa struck immediately in India’s chase when captain Aiden Markram opened the bowling and dismissed Ishan Kishan with his off-spin.
Abhishek Sharma got his first runs of the tournament, after three ducks, with a four off Markram to get the 82,000 crowd on their feet in the cavernous stadium which has a reported capacity of 130,000.
The joy of Indian fans was short-lived as left-arm quick Marco Jansen had Tilak Varma caught behind for one in the next over and removed the left-handed Abhishek for 15.
India needed a partnership but Corbin Bosch dismissed Washington Sundar and skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who toe-ended to midwicket, as the hosts slumped to 51-5.
Left-arm spinner Maharaj took three wickets in one over to dismiss Hardik Pandya (18), Rinku Singh (0) and Arshdeep Singh (one) to shut the door on India.
Shivam Dube made 42 at the end, but it was too little too late and when he fell, off Jansen, last man Jasprit Bumrah followed next ball.
Batting first after winning the toss, South Africa slipped to 20-3 before Miller and Dewald Brevis, who hit 45, put on 97, to guide South Africa to 187-7.
Tristan Stubbs had a late cameo that saw him crash an unbeaten 44 off 24 balls and launch the final two balls of the innings both for six off Pandya.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah took 3-15.
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