NEW DELHI — Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized India’s lack of adaptability after the team suffered a crushing 76-run defeat against South Africa in their Super Eights match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
South Africa recovered from an early collapse to post 187 for 7 after being reduced to 20 for 3, riding on a fluent 63 off 35 balls from David Miller and a composed 45 from Dewald Brevis. India’s chase never took off, as the defending champions were bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs in front of a crowd of 90,954.
Marco Jansen led the South African bowling attack with figures of 4 for 22, while Keshav Maharaj claimed 3 for 24, dismantling an Indian lineup that slipped to 51 for 5 inside the first 10 overs.
Analyzing the match after the game, Gavaskar pointed to a clear difference in approach between the two sides, particularly on a sluggish black soil pitch where the ball held up and free stroke-making was difficult.
“If you look at the way Dewald Brevis and David Miller rebuilt the South African innings, they played a lot more shots in the ‘V’, especially when the short ball was used. They adjusted really well. They realised the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat as quickly as expected — it was holding up slightly in the surface,” Gavaskar said on the post-match broadcast. “Having seen how they constructed their innings and built that partnership, that was the kind of approach that was needed, rather than simply throwing the bat at just about everything.”
India’s batting, by contrast, was marked by hurried shot selection after early setbacks. Ishan Kishan fell attempting an ambitious slog, Tilak Varma was beaten by extra bounce, and Abhishek Sharma’s brief counterattack ended with a top edge as South Africa’s bowlers made smart use of the conditions.
Miller, drawing on his familiarity with the venue from his time in the Indian Premier League with the Gujarat Titans, paced his innings with orthodox strokeplay before accelerating late. Brevis provided measured aggression at the other end, and the pair added 97 runs to stabilize South Africa’s innings after early strikes by Jasprit Bumrah, who took 3 for 15, and Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 2 for 28.
The defeat snapped India’s 12-match winning streak in T20 World Cups and marked their first loss in an ICC World Cup match since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, also played at the Ahmedabad venue. With their net run rate slipping to minus 3.8, India now face a must-win situation in their remaining Super Eights matches against the West Indies and Zimbabwe to keep their semifinal hopes alive. (Source: IANS)
