India Outgun South Africa by 30 Runs in T20 World Cup Warm-up Thriller

India won the toss and elected to bat first in the day-night warm-up encounter, looking to test their batting depth on a flat surface.

India piled up an imposing 240/5 in 20 overs, scoring at a run rate of 12.00. Ishan Kishan provided early momentum before retiring out for a quickfire 53, while Abhishek Sharma retired hurt after contributing 24.

Tilak Varma anchored the innings with a fluent 45 before falling to Marco Jansen, while captain Suryakumar Yadav played an explosive knock of 30, striking at over 187 before being dismissed by Kwena Maphaka.

Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 35, and Hardik Pandya added late fireworks with a rapid 30. Rinku Singh chipped in with 16 as India finished strongly despite disciplined spells from Lungi Ngidi.

Chasing a stiff target of 241, South Africa were restricted to 210/7 in 20 overs. Captain Aiden Markram retired out after scoring 38, while Ryan Rickelton impressed with a brisk 44.

Tristan Stubbs stood tall with an unbeaten 45, supported by Jason Smith’s 35, but regular wickets prevented South Africa from building sustained partnerships. Varun Chakravarthy and Arshdeep Singh took wickets at crucial moments.

The match highlighted India’s batting firepower and depth, while South Africa gained insights into their middle-order combinations ahead of the tournament.