Ahmedabad, Feb 22 (IANS) South Africa captain Aiden Markram hailed his side’s adaptability and quick assessment of conditions on offer after securing a comprehensive 76-run victory over India in the Super Eights clash of 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

On a slow black soil pitch, David Miller top-scored with 63 while Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs hit 45 and 44 not out respectively as the Proteas recovered from 20/3 to post a challenging 187/7 in 20 overs. In reply, the South African bowlers, led by Marco Jansen’s 4-22, then delivered a tactical and execution masterclass to bundle out India for 111 in 18.5 overs.

“Great performance. Very different type of wicket to what we’ve had here, so great to see the boys assess that pretty early and adapt their skills to execute their plans. We’re really pumped for the bowling group. They’ve been working hard, started the comp a bit tough, but the way they rocked up tonight was a great effort,” Markram said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

He credited the 97-run partnership between Miller and Brevis for steadying the innings after early setbacks. “I think first and foremost was that partnership. The guys were great, put that together for us, steadied the ship and kept us in the game,” he added.

Markram said the team’s batting through the middle overs, thanks to Miller and Brevis, proved to be decisive. “Conversations towards the back end were that the ball was travelling tonight, felt almost a bit spongy, so it was about finding space where we could run hard, drop the ego and take as much as we could at the back end. They bowled well up front and at the death as well, but I thought our batting through the middle was probably the difference.”

He also praised the fielding effort and the role of pacer Lungi Ngidi. “Good effort in the field. We put two down but not for lack of effort. Against UAE we probably weren’t as connected as we’d like, but that presence and connectedness was much better today. We’re going to make mistakes, we don’t mind that as a group, so we’ll brush those aside. We feel like Lungi is a threat whenever he bowls and that he can take wickets for us in that middle phase,” said Markram.

Looking ahead to their next clash against the West Indies, Markram said, “I think it’s the same for both teams having played each other recently. They’re a dangerous T20 side playing good cricket, so we’ll enjoy this tonight, park it, and get our minds sharp for that West Indies clash. It’s a big game for us and we don’t want to take confidence or good vibes for granted. Important to rock up on the 28th and take it on full steam ahead.”

Miller, named Player of the Match, said his approach was about sticking to his strengths and maintaining aggression. “Just about making sure you stick to your strengths and don’t go into your shell. During the powerplay, all fielders were in the ring so thought of going over. Trying to get a partnership as much as we could, and trying to rotate strike,” he said.

He explained his scoring areas at the venue. “With the nature of this ground, you want to look straight. Smaller there than square. Want to shape up to hit straight and then react. Looking to be nice and aggressive against the spinners. They have world-class bowlers. Have played against them a lot, trying to put them under pressure and about putting yourself in the position to do that.”

–IANS

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