South Africa Becomes 1st Team To Do This To India As T20 World Cup Hosts Crumble

South Africa crush India in Super 8 [Source: @ProteasMenCSA/x]

South Africa outplayed Team India in all aspects of their Super 8 encounter in match number 43 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The outcome marked a rare occasion for the Indian cricket team as the ‘Men in Blue’ had their multiple winning streaks hampered on a single evening. 

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights from the 43rd match of the T20 World Cup 2026 between India and South Africa, as it panned out at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.

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David Miller, Tristan Stubbs bulldoze India bowlers despite early hiccups

India fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh jolted South Africa early in the game with three big wickets. While Bumrah knocked over Quinton de Kock for just six and deceived Ryan Rickelton with a slower delivery, Arshdeep toppled Aiden Markram to leave the Proteas reeling at 20-3 in four overs.

Forming forces well inside the powerplay, hard-hitting middle-order batters David Miller and Dewald Brevis bolted South Africa to 117 by 12.2 overs through their counterattacking 97-run partnership. Brevis muscled 45 runs from just 29 balls with three cracking fours and as many as sixes before mistiming one off Shivam Dube.

David Miller top-scored in the innings, launching seven boundaries and three sixes to slap 63 off just 35. Tristan Stubbs provided the slog-overs impetus through his fiery knock of 44* from 24 as South Africa charted a monumental 187-7 in 20 overs.

For India, both Jasprit Bumrah (3-15) and Arshdeep Singh (2-28) added a wicket each to their tally in the slog overs following their sublime new ball blitz. Ace spinner Varun Chakravarthy conceded 47 runs from his four overs, with the lone wicket of David Miller to show for. Shivam Dube also leaked 32 runs from his short two-over spell.

Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj make India kneel in Ahmedabad

Chasing 188 for a win, yet another Indian opener fell for a duck this 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, this time Ishan Kishan failing to open his account. The in-form opener was dismissed by Aiden Markram in the fourth ball of the innings, with number three Tilak Varma following suite in the very next over by Marco Jansen.

Tottering at 5-2, India also lost struggling opener Abhishek Sharma (15 off 12), all-rounder Washington Sundar (11 off 11) and captain Suryakumar Yadav (18 off 22) to slip to 51-5 around the halfway stage of the innings.

Shivam Dube conjured some hard-earned runs alongside fellow hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya, but a triple-wicket burst from Keshav Maharaj got the hosts crumbling down further at 88-8 in 15 overs. Dube launched three huge sixes in his 37-ball stay to top-score with 42 before becoming Marco Jansen’s third victim.

Jansen also picked up his fourth to shoot out India for just 111 in 18.5 overs as the Proteas secured a huge 76-run win.

South Africa halt India’s winning streak

The outcome marked India’s first defeat in any ICC white-ball tournament since losing the 2023 ICC World Cup final against Australia at the same Ahmedabad venue. Since losing the 2023 World Cup final, Team India won 17 matches in a row, which included all eight from the 2024 T20 World Cup and five from the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Moreover, India’s 76-run defeat against South Africa on February 22 also ended their 12-match winning streak in T20 World Cups. The streak began with India’s first match from the 2024 T20 World Cup a couple of years ago in the USA and West Indies.

Starting off the Super 8 with a demoralizing loss, Suryakumar Yadav and co. will now face Zimbabwe on February 26 in Chennai.

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