India Crushes South Africa by 135 Runs, Registers Third-Largest T20I Victory

Johannesburg: India has achieved its third-largest T20I victory, defeating South Africa by 135 runs in the fourth T20 match of the series. The win also helped India seal the series 3-1, securing their 18th victory over South Africa in 31 T20I encounters.

Batting first after winning the toss, India posted a massive total of 283/1 in 20 overs, thanks to outstanding centuries from Sanju Samson and Tilak Verma. Samson scored 109 runs off 56 balls, while Tilak made 120 runs off 47 balls. Their brilliant partnership of 210* runs for the second wicket powered India to this formidable score.

In reply, South Africa’s batting crumbled as they were restricted to 148 all out in just 18.2 overs. Despite a valiant 43-run knock from Tristan Stubbs and 36 from David Miller, South Africa’s chase fell apart with no other batsman able to reach double digits. For India, Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rishi Dhawan, and Ravi Bishnoi each contributed with a wicket.

This loss marked South Africa’s heaviest defeat in terms of runs in T20I cricket, surpassing their previous record of a 111-run loss to Australia in 2023. India’s 135-run victory now stands as their third-largest win in T20 internationals, following their 168-run win over New Zealand in 2023 and 143-run win over Ireland in 2018.

India’s dominating performance in the series demonstrated their complete control over the game, with both their batters and bowlers performing excellently. With this commanding win, India continues to prove its prowess in the shortest format of the game.