Following India’s heavy defeat to the South Africa national cricket team in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, captain Suryakumar Yadav made it clear that the team will not change its aggressive approach despite the disappointing result. India suffered a 76-run loss in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 22), a defeat that has put their campaign under serious pressure.

South Africa’s innings began on a shaky note as the Proteas were reduced to 20 for 3 inside the first four overs. However, a strong middle-order recovery changed the momentum of the match. David Miller led the fightback with a powerful 63 off 35 balls, while Dewald Brevis contributed 45 from 29 deliveries. Tristan Stubbs then provided the finishing push with an unbeaten 44, helping South Africa reach 187 for 7 in their 20 overs.

India started strongly with the ball, thanks largely to Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered an excellent spell of 3 for 15 in four overs. Arshdeep Singh also impressed with figures of 2 for 28. Despite the early breakthroughs, South Africa capitalised during the middle overs and built a competitive total.

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India’s chase, however, quickly fell apart. The hosts slumped to 51 for 5 early in the innings and were eventually bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs. Marco Jansen starred with the ball, picking up 4 for 22, while Keshav Maharaj claimed three wickets and Corbin Bosch took two. Shivam Dube was India’s top scorer with 42 off 37 balls, but the effort came too late to influence the result.

Reflecting on the match, Suryakumar Yadav said, “I feel we were always in the game when we started.” “I think we bowled really well in the beginning, 21 for 3, and the way they batted after that from 7 to 15, I think they batted really well,” he added.

He also pointed out India’s Powerplay struggles. “If you’re chasing 180-185, you can’t win the game in the power play, but you might lose the game in the power play.”

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“We lost too many wickets in the powerplay and couldn’t build small partnerships,” Suryakumar Yadav explained. Despite the setback, the skipper remained confident. “We’ll try and keep it simple, play the same brand of cricket which we want to play and nothing changes. I think we’ll come back strong.”