South Africa thumped India by 76 runs in the Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was a high-class performance from the Proteas as they left India stunned with the execution of their plans to superbly defend 187 runs. India were never in the run chase as they got bowled out for only 111 runs in the 19th over of the innings.
Earlier, South Africa opted to bat first after winning the toss, and soon found themselves in deep trouble at 20/3 in four overs. This is when David Miller and Dewald Brevis joined hands to showcase the blend of youth and experience. Miller took the attack to the Indian bowlers after a brief rebuilding phase and Brevis soon joined forces as they left India stunned with their approach.
The two batters also smashed India’s best bowler, Varun Chakaravarthy, out of the park in his first two overs and soon the hosts found themselves in an unfamiliar territory. The run-rate touched 10 in no time as the duo added 97 runs for the fourth wicket. By the time Brevis was dismissed by Shivam Dube in the 13th over, South Africa seemed to be well on their way to post a total in excess of 200 runs.
In the meantime, Miller notched up his half-century off just 26 balls and got out on 63 off just 35 balls with seven fours and three sixes to his name. And then Bumrah showcased his brilliance at the death to increase hopes of restricting South Africa to under 170. However, a final over of 20 runs from Hardik Pandya took the Proteas to a brilliant total of 187 runs in their 20 overs with Tristan Stubbs tearing him apart.
The run-chase that never got going
India needed a good start in the run-chase but it never got going. Ishan Kishan bagged a duck, getting out in the very first over off Aiden Markram. Tilak Varma followed suit and soon Abhishek Sharma, who finally got off the mark, was also back in the hut. At 26/3 in the 5th over, India needed someone to play an innings like David Miller or Brevis.
But none of the batters could hang around and things soon turned from bad to worse. The score became 51/5 by the time the 10th over and India were never in the chase after that. South Africa’s bowlers were too good with their variations and they read the conditions perfectly to never let the hosts make a comeback in the game. Dube played well to score 42 runs but there was no hope even while he was smashing sixes in the middle.
Eventually, India succumbed to the pressure to go down by 76 runs, their biggest ever loss in T20 World Cup history.
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