Co-hosts and defending champions India went down meekly as they surrendered the game to South Africa easily by a whopping margin of 76 runs in Ahmedabad. India did not win the toss and from thereon, barring the first 6 overs with the ball in hand, it was all South Africa in Ahmedabad as they outplayed India in all facets of the game. India had their moments and were good in patches but they were not consistent enough to deserve the loss in the end. There were areas where India were exposed to the limit and we will try and give three reasons the same.
Inability to break the 4th wicket stand between David Miller and Dewald Brevis dents India
India lost the toss and were forced to field first on a pitch that was black soil in colour and was slow in pace. India started well as they removed Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and captain Aiden Markram early as South Africa were 20/3 inside the first 4 overs of the contest. But then the Proteas counter-attacked through David Miller who played an innings for the ages and was ably supported by Dewald Brevis as the duo got in and took the game away from India after getting in.
India were awful with the ball post the powerplay as barring Arshdeep and Bumrah, the others went the distance and just could not control the flow of runs. The spinners were attacked as South Africa came with a plan to attack India and they did that. India lacked control and could never get in the flow. The captain ran short of ideas and it was a case of India having the bad day when they did not need to. Their qualification is in serious jeopardy now.
For India to bounce back, they need to be more inventive and incisive with their bowling if they are to stand a chance in this tournament. The bowling they dished out post powerplay was pedestrian to say the least and it exposed India’s vulnerability and now India’s hopes are almost dashed now. They need a miracle now to reach the semis let alone lift the trophy. The captain coach duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have been a failure for India.
Losing wickets at regular intervals sealed India’s fateÂ
India needed to chase 188 for the win. A score which was no doubt above par but can be chased considering India’s depth in batting on paper and the conditions which was not unplayable. But India just succumbed to scoreboard pressure if we are being brutally honest about it. They lost wickets in the powerplay much like South Africa did but the difference was South Africa dug deep and put in a 97-run stand which laid the platform for the finish in the end overs. Unfortunately, for India nothing of that sort happened.
India lost Ishan Kishan in the opening over of the chase to Aiden Markram. Tilak Varma has become a walking wicket as he went early too. Abhishek Sharma finally opened his account and scored 15 runs before being dismissed. Washington Sundar was sent up the order and he fell soon without doing much. Suryakumar Yadav was intent in playing Test cricket for India. Shivam Dube was the only one who showed some resistance but others were awful. More wickets fell as Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and Arshdeep Singh all got out and finally Dube too fell for 42.
But the rest fell by the wayside as it is a meek surrender from India. They need to pick themselves up and compete harder in last two games if they want to reach the semis. But a lot of hard work and soul searching has to be done for India to bounce back. As far as now it is looking bleak for India to bounce back and roar like lions they always do. A Super 8 game exit is looking the most likely outcome for India.
Varun Chakaravarthy having a rare off-day upset India’s plans and strategiesÂ
Varun Chakaravarthy is India’s trump card in this tournament. He is the X-Factor, go to player for India and more often than not he delivers for the Men in Blue. But unfortunately last night, he was attacked and taken to the cleaners. Varun controls the middle overs totally by getting wickets and having the runs down but last night South Africa had a game plan of attacking him from the word go. This put India in a spot.
Varun initially came to bowl in the powerplay and bowling in the 5th over of the innings as he was taken down by David Miller who well set and took Varun on. Dewald Brevis took him on as well and it was a sight to behold as Varun and India ran short of ideas. Here is someone who keeps things tight and now going for plenty. He at one stage had figures of 0/39 in 3 overs as South Africa took him on and put pressure on India in the phase where India have traditionally dominated the phase only to get dominated again.
Looking ahead to the next game against Zimbabwe in Chennai, Varun would like to bounce back and roar like a lion to come back stronger in front of his home crowd. It is seen that when Varun does well, India do very well and vice-versa. Varun has been in good form lately but this game was an anomaly and things went south for India and him. Let’s see if Varun and India can bounce back on Thursday.
What Lies Ahead.
So, India will next face Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday night while South Africa will face West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. More Group 1 action comes your way later tonight as Zimbabwe will lock horns with West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 7 PM IST onwards. Let’s see how this game pans out later tonight.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: South Africa Dismantle India