New Delhi: India’s 17-match unbeaten streak in major ICC events and 12-match winning streak in the T20 World Cup came to an end with a crushing 76-run defeat against South Africa in their Super Eight opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22. Suryakumar Yadav-led India also saw their four-match winning streak in the T20 World Cup 2026 snapped with their loss against the Proteas.
David Miller and the bowlers shone for South Africa as the Proteas exposed the chinks in India’s armour, handing the defending champions a stark reality check in the Super Eights. Miller’s superb 35-ball 63 helped South Africa post a strong total of 187 runs on the board, before the bowlers dished out a combined effort to bowl out India for a paltry 111 runs in 18.5 overs.
Marco Jansen picked up a four-wicket haul, while Keshav Maharaj bagged a three-fer to help the Proteas comfortably defend the strong total against a hapless Indian batting unit, which looked completely out of sorts under pressure. The South Africa clash was dubbed India’s first biggest test in the tournament yet, and the defending champions failed miserably.
South Africa handed India their biggest defeat in terms of runs in the T20 World Cup and the second-biggest in T20Is, hurting their chances of qualifying for the semifinals. India will now have to win their remaining two matches in the Super Eight to ensure they remain alive in the race for the semifinals in the T20 World Cup 2026.
India’s incredible unbeaten run in ICC tournaments ends
Heading into Sunday’s clash against South Africa, India were unbeaten in their last 17 matches across ICC major events, a streak that started in the T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma-led India won all eight of their matches in the T20 World Cup to lift the title unbeaten after beating South Africa in the final. The Men in Blue continued their dominant run under Rohit in the Champions Trophy last year.
India won all five of their matches in the Champions Trophy 2025 to lift the trophy after beating New Zealand in the final. Rohit etched his name in history by winning back-to-back ICC trophies as captain while overseeing India’s incredible 13-match unbeaten streak in the two tournaments. India extended their streak further in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 by winning their four matches in the group stage.
However, the 17-match streak came to an end with the defeat against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The defeat also marked an end to India’s 12-match unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup, which started in the last edition of the tournament in 2024. The 12-match unbeaten streak by India is the longest by any team in the history of the T20 World Cup.
It was also India’s first defeat in 23 matches in multi-nation T20I tournaments. India last lost a match in a multi-nation T20I tournament in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England. They have since won 21 and lost only one of their last 23 games in such events, with one game ending in a no-result.
South Africa expose chinks in India’s armour
With Ahishek Sharma enduring a horror run and questions over Tilak Varma and skipper Suryakumar’s over-cautious approach, India’s top order never looked settled in the group stage and was expected to face its first biggest test against South Africa in the Super Eight. As it turned out, the top order crumbled under pressure against a quality bowling attack as India were handed a reality check in the Super 8 meeting.
After losing in-form opener Ishan Kishan for a duck for the first time in the tournament, India never quite managed to recover in the 188-run chase, losing wickets at regular intervals to suffer a terrible batting collapse. Abhishek Sharma managed to end his duck curse, finally scoring a run in his fourth match in the tournament.
However, the left-hander’s woeful run continued as he was once again dismissed cheaply on 15 off 12 balls. Tilak Varma was sent packing on 1 after facing just two balls, while Suryakumar saw his miserable stay getting cut short by Corbin Bosch after a scratchy knock of 18 off 22 balls. There was little hope left for India after the top order collapse and as it turned out, the hosts failed to absord the pressure to fall short by a huge margin in the 188-run chase.