South Africa thump India to assert T20 World Cup title credentials

South Africa bulldozed defending champions India by 76 runs yesterday (22 February) in their Super Eight Group One clash of the Twenty20 World Cup, underlining their title credentials and sending a strong signal to their rivals.

Choosing to bat in a rematch of the 2024 World Cup final, South Africa surged to a commanding 187‑7 following a remarkable recovery from a precarious 20-3.

In reply, tournament co-hosts India's timid top-order faltered swiftly, and their innings never quite escaped the grip of scoreboard pressure. They were bundled out for 111 in 18.5 overs, slipping to their first defeat of the World Cup.

"We played against them a lot as well," David Miller, whose breezy 63 earned him player-of-the-match award, said of the Indian bowlers.

"So it was just matching the intensity, if not raising the intensity, against their bowlers, and putting them under the pump.

"They are good bowlers, but they do bowl bad balls. So it's making sure you're in that position to do that."

Earlier, India quickly took the sting out of South Africa's top order following Aiden Markram's decision to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Jasprit Bumrah bowled Quinton de Kock, while Arshdeep Singh had Markram snared at mid-off to leave South Africa without any of their openers inside three overs.

Bumrah's control (3‑15) shone again when he, with a deft change of pace, deceived Ryan Rickelton, who chipped tamely to Shivam Dube at mid‑off.

From there, a blistering 97‑run partnership between Miller and Dewald Brevis (45) not only halted the slide but also turned the heat back on India.

Brevis missed a well‑deserved fifty, but Miller powered to his in just 26 balls.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy removed Miller in the 16th over, but Tristan Stubbs provided the last flourish with an unbeaten 44 off 24 balls that included three sixes.

India's chase began in near‑identical fashion to South Africa's innings, but without the same rescue act.

With three left-handers in India's top three, off-spinner Markram began with the new ball, and the ploy soon paid off.

Markram dismissed the in-form Ishan Kishan in the first over, and Marco Jansen dismissed number three Tilak Varma in the second.

Opener Abhishek Sharma (15) avoided a fourth successive duck, but neither he nor Washington Sundar (11) could provide the stability that India needed at that stage.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) departed in the 10th over, leaving India reeling at 51-5 and the chase drifting further from reach with each passing delivery.

Keshav Maharaj then effectively extinguished India's fading hopes in one telling burst.

The left‑arm spinner dismissed Hardik Pandya (18), Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh in the eventful 15th over, breaking the back of the lower middle order and clearing the path for South Africa's victory.

Dube's gallant 42 merely lent some respectability to India's margin of defeat.

Marco Jansen dismissed Dube and Bumrah with successive deliveries to finish with figures of 4-22.