Ahmedabad heartbreak 2.0: SA bring India back to earth, hand massive Super 8 loss

India vs South Africa, T20 World Cup: Ahmedabad continues to haunt India's unbeaten runs. On November 19, 2023, Australia ended their perfect ODI World Cup campaign at the final hurdle. On Sunday, South Africa repeated the script, snapping India's 12-match winning streak in the T20 World Cup, inflicting a crushing 76-run defeat on the hosts.

South Africa (187/7 in 20 ov) beat India (111-all out) by 76 runs in Super 8 clash in Ahmedabad

Under the bright lights of Ahmedabad, the sense of deja vu was impossible to ignore. Back then, on November 19, 2023, India's unbeaten march had ended in heartbreak against Australia in the ODI World Cup final. On Sunday night, another flawless run met the same fate. South Africa halted India's 12-match winning streak in the T20 World Cup, inflicting their first defeat in the tournament since the 10-wicket semi-final loss to England, and doing so with authority.

IND vs SA, Super 8: UPDATES | SCORECARD

It had been 826 days since India last lost a match in an ICC white-ball event, a run that featured 17 consecutive wins and two titles. But the return to the Narendra Modi Stadium for their Super Eights opener proved uncomfortable. South Africa opted to bat and, despite slipping to 20 for 3, recovered impressively to post 187.

With heavy dew expected to ease the chase, India were put under pressure for the first time in the tournament. The response never came. Their batting, so often the cornerstone of their dominance, faltered as South Africa's bowlers maintained discipline and control. India were bowled out for 111, falling 76 runs short in a result that could have significant net run-rate implications. Clinical with the ball and composed after early setbacks with the bat, South Africa outplayed India in all departments, a commanding Super 8 statement that brought the hosts back down to earth.

The one-dimensional "attack at all costs" template of India's batting unit was thoroughly exposed as the hosts failed their first big test against South Africa. The pattern of dismissals felt eerily familiar. A left-hander fell for a duck to off-spin in the opening over, this time Ishan Kishan undone by Aiden Markram for a four-ball duck. Three deliveries later, Tilak Varma charged Marco Jansen and edged onto his pads. The review confirmed it, and India were rattled early. Abhishek Sharma, though he got off the mark for the tournament, never looked settled and eventually holed out after a series of plays and misses.