India suffered a humiliating 76-run thrashing at the hands of South Africa in their T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 opener in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 22).
Opting to bat, the Proteas rode on David Miller (63 off 35) and Dewald Brevis' (45 off 29) recovery act -- 97-run fourth-wicket stand from just 51 balls -- to post 187/7 on the board. Tristan Stubbs (44* off 24) also produced fireworks in the death overs.
In reply, India never got going as South Africa bundled out the hosts for a mere 111 in 18.5 overs. It was a hopeless chase as no one beside Shivam Dube (42 off 37) managed to touch 20-run mark.
The defeat has now put the defending champions under immense pressure, as they are now facing a must-win situation in the remaining Super 8 fixtures to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals. Two back-to-back wins might also not be enough, as the Net Run Rate took a severe hit after the dismal show against South Africa.
After the game, former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Umar Gul didn’t hold back as they claimed South Africa “broke India’s pride” and exposed the Suryakumar Yadav-led side.
“South Africa and Aiden Markram’s match planning was excellent. In just one over, he changed the result. All of his plans worked today. He completely dismantled India. Honestly, he broke India’s pride and turned the game around,” Saqlain said during a show on Pakistani channel Tapmad.
Gul commended the South African team management for reading the Narendra Modi Stadium surface perfectly.
“They survived the powerplay even after losing 3 wickets for 41 runs. But the middle overs are what shape the match. Then the last 3-4 overs are very important to finish strongly. South Africa targeted Varun Chakaravarthy’s four overs and exposed that plan. India looked confused about their fifth bowler. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube struggled, and even Chakaravarthy looked under pressure,” Gul stated.
Akhtar felt India’s batting and bowling were exposed under pressure. He was particularly critical of Hardik Pandya’s performance with the ball.
“Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and the spinners could not sustain pressure. Indian batting was exposed when pressure came. We always say India is a very strong team, but today was the day to show character in the middle order. Their attacking style did not work. Hardik Pandya is not the right choice for the 20th over, and maybe not even for the middle overs,” Akhtar said.
India will face Zimbabwe in their next Super 8 clash on February 22 at Chepauk, followed by the West Indies on March 1 in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
