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Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India are looking to bounce back after a crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa in their opening Super 8 fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The loss ended India’s 18-match unbeaten run in ICC white-ball tournaments since their defeat in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia at the same venue. It was also India’s second-biggest loss by runs in T20 Internationals, behind the 80-run defeat to New Zealand in Wellington in 2019, and their heaviest defeat in T20 World Cup history.
In the match against South Africa, the Proteas posted 187/7 after a 97-run fourth-wicket partnership between David Miller (63) and Dewald Brevis (45) steadied the innings. Tristan Stubbs added late impetus with an unbeaten 44.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah (3/15) and Arshdeep Singh (2/28) were the standout bowlers, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube chipped in with a wicket each.
Chasing 188, India never gained momentum. Shivam Dube top-scored with 42, but no batter managed a half-century as the defending champions were bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs. Marco Jansen (4/22), Keshav Maharaj (3/24), Corbin Bosch (2/12) and captain Aiden Markram (1/5) starred with the ball to seal a comprehensive win.
The heavy defeat has dented India’s Net Run Rate, which now stands at -3.800. To stay in the race for a semifinal berth, India must win their remaining Super 8 Group 1 matches and significantly improve their NRR to avoid depending on other results.