road to t20 world cup 2026 Officially crowned defending champion on February 4, 2026 India faced with South Africa In a very exciting practice match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. While practice matches are often seen as mere dress rehearsals, this encounter felt like a statement of intent. India’s batting juggernaut, led by a resurgent Ishan KishanThey demolished the Proteas bowling attack to post a massive score of 240/6 and eventually secured a comfortable 30 run victory.
However, the highlight of the night was not just the scoreline, but a moment of pure, chaotic brilliance from Kishan that stunned the fast bowler Enrique Nortje In a state of complete disbelief.
Ishan Kishan’s incredible miss-hit against Anrich Nortje went for a six
The decisive moment of the powerplay came in the fifth over, which Nortje bowled at pace. Nortje, already battling a flurry of boundaries, attempted to push Kishan back with a rib-tickling bouncer clocking more than 145 kmph. What happened next was one of the most bizarre yet effective scenes ever seen at the Navi Mumbai site.
As the ball moved towards his head, Kishan instinctively tried to avoid harm. However, his bat remained standing high and straight in a desperate attempt to save himself. At the last microsecond the ball kissed Blade’s face. Instead of a standard defensive block or a painful blow to the shoulder, the ball caught the full pace of Nortje’s pace and slipped effortlessly over the short fine-leg boundary for a maximum.
A situation of confusion arose in the commentary box and it was asked, “How did six years go by?” Even Kishan shared a strange smile with his partner, Abhishek SharmaBecause Nortje was frozen at the top of his mark. That “weird” mis-hit was part of a brutal sequence – 6, 6, 4, 6 – where Kishan scored 29 runs in the over, effectively settling the debate over India’s opening slot for the tournament opener. Kishan was eventually out after scoring 53 runs in just 20 balls with the help of seven sky-high sixes.
Here is the video:
When you are in form, everything goes your way!😮💨
icc men #T20WorldCup | Warm-up match 👉 #INDvSA | Live now ➡️ https://t.co/KpRezrTaFe pic.twitter.com/51Mr18qE1g
– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) 4 February 2026
Clinical India dominate despite South African resistance in warm-up match
With a mammoth target of 241 runs, it was always going to be a tough battle for South Africa against the Indian team playing on home soil. aiden markram (38) And Ryan Rickelton (44) In keeping with the rate required during the opening overs, some early fireworks were provided. However, India’s strategic depth proved too much.
spin twin Varun Chakraborty And Abhishek (2/32) weakened the middle order, taking crucial wickets just as the Proteas started to find their rhythm. Tristan Stubbs There was some drama late in the innings, a blistering 45 off 21 balls, but the deficit created by India’s top order was impossible to overcome. South Africa finished their 20 overs at 210/7 and were 30 runs short.
This win not only boosts India’s confidence as they look to defend their crown but also confirms that the “Kishan-Abhishek” partnership is ready to take the world stage by storm.
Also read: From Virat Kohli to Babar Azam: Leading run-scorers in each edition of T20 World Cup
