South Africa produced a clinical all-round display to outplay India in front of 90,954 fans. Despite being reduced to 20/3 inside four overs, the Proteas rebuilt through David Miller (63 off 35 balls) and Dewald Brevis (45), whose 97-run stand steadied the innings. A late flourish from Stubbs powered them to a competitive 187/7.

India’s reply never found rhythm. Early wickets derailed the chase as they slipped to 51/5 within the first 10 overs. Shivam Dube’s fighting 42 briefly raised hopes, but disciplined bowling from Marco Jansen (4-22), Keshav Maharaj (3-24) and Corbin Bosch ensured the asking rate spiralled beyond reach.

Reacting to the defeat, Saikia shared a short but optimistic message on social media, indicating belief in the team’s ability to regroup.

“Last evening in India - South Africa match...lost but will bounce back,” Saikia captioned his X post.

Reacting to the defeat, Saikia shared a short but optimistic message on social media, indicating belief in the team’s ability to regroup.

With their net run rate dipping to -38, India now find themselves in a must-win situation in their remaining Super Eights fixtures against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to keep their semi-final hopes alive.