Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav looked angry and upset after South Africa defeated the defending champions by 76 runs in the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.
David Miller’s storm breaks India’s unbeaten streak in T20 World Cup 2026
At one time India was in a very good situation. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh reduced South Africa to 20/3 in just four overs. The energy was very high and it looked like India would crush them. But then came David Miller’s brutal counterattack. The power hitter exploded by scoring 63 runs in just 35 balls.
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Youngster Dewald Brewis scored a quickfire 45 while Tristan Stubbs scored an unbeaten 44. His hitting was the turning point of the game as South Africa finished at 187 for 7. And again, India’s chase was completely disastrous. The aggressive “hit every ball” plan failed on the slow Ahmedabad pitch.
Ahmedabad Horror Show in Super 8 Game
India’s batting lineup looked flat and confused. The collapse cost South Africa a massive win in the Super 8 encounter and ended India’s unbeaten run in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. They had won four consecutive games in the group stage, but those wins hid many problems.
South Africa exposed every weakness under great pressure. Now the situation is dangerous. India will have to beat Zimbabwe in their next Super 8 matches on February 26 and West Indies on March 1 to keep their semi-final dreams alive in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Suryakumar Yadav met coaches after heavy defeat
Following the disaster, a video went viral on social media, in which Suryakumar Yadav was seen disappointed in the Indian dugout.
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Cameras caught Suryakumar Yadav having a long and serious conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir, bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak in the dugout.
After losing the match against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav looked very upset in the dugout. He was seen having a serious discussion with Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the support staff. pic.twitter.com/FDgxSGKIN4
– 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@Rushiii_12) 22 February 2026
Suryakumar Yadav admitted that India lost the South Africa match due to powerplay glitches.
Suryakumar Yadav admitted that India lost because the batsmen could not make good partnerships. He also admitted that the Men in Blue lost the game on the power play.
“Sometimes, you have to think that you can’t win the game in the powerplay, but you can lose it. We didn’t have the partnerships we needed. We could have batted better,” the Indian captain said in the post-match presentation.
However, the stylish batsman is hopeful that India will make a strong comeback in their Super 8 match against Zimbabwe on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. “Hopefully bat well, bowl well and field well. That’s all. We will try and keep it simple, play the same brand of cricket we want to play, and nothing will change. I think we will come back strong,” he said.
India’s NRR -3.800 puts T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final hopes in jeopardy
Well, this crushing defeat has caused a lot of damage to India’s net run rate. It has now come to -3.800. This means that even if India wins its next Super 8 match, a simple win will not be enough. They may need a big win to improve their net run rate and stay ahead in the points table.
On the other hand, South Africa is sitting comfortably in the points table. Their strong win took their net run rate to +3.800. They get a big benefit from this. Even if they lose a close match later, they can still stay ahead because of this strong cushion.
