India made a strong start in their Super 8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as Arshdeep Singh removed Aiden Markram early to put the South Africa national cricket team under pressure at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22. After winning the toss, Markram opted to bat first, hoping the Proteas could set a competitive total on a slightly dry surface.
However, India’s pace attack immediately made an impact. On the fourth ball of the third over, Arshdeep delivered a slightly overpitched ball outside off stump. Markram attempted an aggressive drive down the ground but failed to get the timing right, sending the ball off the toe end of the bat. Hardik Pandya, stationed at mid-off, completed a comfortable catch as the South African skipper departed for just four runs.
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Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah had provided the perfect start by dismissing Quinton de Kock with a superb delivery. With both openers back in the pavilion inside the first three overs, South Africa were left reeling at 19/2, allowing India to seize early momentum in the contest.
Arshdeep’s wicket also marked another milestone in his growing T20I career. The left-arm pacer moved to 31 wickets in just his 18th match for India in the format, further cementing his reputation as one of the team’s most effective wicket-taking bowlers.
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South Africa attempted a recovery when David Miller and Dewald Brevis stitched together an impressive 97-run partnership. The duo counterattacked brilliantly, even taking on Varun Chakravarthy during the middle overs to shift the momentum.
However, the breakthrough eventually came through Shivam Dube. After conceding 17 runs in his first over, the all-rounder bounced back in his next spell to dismiss Brevis. The young batter had just smashed a six over long-on, narrowly clearing Washington Sundar, but failed to repeat the shot on the very next delivery and ended up losing his wicket.
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