Suryakumar Yadav led India to a 30-run victory over South Africa in their only warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. The game featured an abundance of sixes as India set a challenging target of 240 for five, leaving South Africa with a difficult chase.
South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram scored a quick 38 runs off 19 balls, including two fours and four sixes, but opener George Linde was dismissed for a duck. Ryan Rickelton added a brisk 44 runs off 21 balls before Varun Chakravarthy took him out, while Dewald Brevis managed only 2 runs.
Jason Smith contributed 35 runs from 23 balls, hitting four fours and a six. Tristan Stubbs ended the innings strongly with 45 not out off 21 balls. Marco Jansen scored 31 off 16 before he was dismissed by Abhishek Sharma. Corbin Bosch remained not out on 2 runs, but South Africa could not reach the target, handing India a 30-run victory.
Ishan Kishan’s Explosive 53 Leads India in T20 Warm-up
Ishan Kishan opened the innings for India with an explosive 53 runs from just 20 balls, smashing seven sixes and two fours. He teamed up with Abhishek Sharma, who scored 24 off 17 balls before retiring, establishing an impressive 80-run partnership during the powerplay.
In the fifth over, Ishan attacked Anrich Nortje, scoring 29 runs through four sixes and a four. One standout moment occurred when he attempted to duck a bouncer, only for it to deflect off his bat and clear the boundary for a six.
After Ishan’s dismissal, Tilak Varma scored 45 off 19 balls with three sixes and three fours before being dismissed by Marco Jansen. Suryakumar Yadav added 30 runs off 16 balls, while Axar Patel contributed 35 runs off 23 balls.
Hardik Pandya finished the innings with a bang, scoring 30 off just 10 balls, which included three sixes and two fours. Rinku Singh added 16 runs but was struck on the helmet by Bosch during his innings.
