South Africa Thrash India By 76 Runs: How Pakistan Greats Reacted

Former Pakistan cricketers are having a gala time ever since India's defeat to South Africa in their T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash on Sunday. Opting to bat in Ahmedabad, the Proteas posted 187/7 in 20 overs, with David Miller smashing 63 off 35 balls. In response, India collapsed to 111 all out and lost by 76 runs. This was India's first defeat in 18 ICC matches across formats since the 2023 World Cup final loss to Australia.

After the result, several former Pakistan players appeared on a TV show and looked visibly delighted. Former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq praised South Africa's planning and their exceptional fielding effort.

"South Africa's plans worked perfectly today. They dragged the Indians along the ground in a manner of speaking, thrashed them and, to be honest, insulted them. Whatever high they may have been on lately, South Africa brought them down a peg or two. Their planning was outstanding in all three departments-batting, bowling, and fielding," Mushtaq said on a Pakistani TV show.

"Look at how they coordinated for that catch," he added, referring to Corbin Bosch's running effort to dismiss Abhishek Sharma, and his timely call to ensure Keshav Maharaj backed away.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar criticised Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for their failures with the bat.

"Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and the spinners could not sustain pressure. Indian batting was exposed when pressure arrived. We always say India is a very strong team, but today was the day to show character in the middle order. Their attacking style did not work. Hardik Pandya is not the right choice for the 20th over, and maybe not even for the middle overs," Akhtar said.

Former Pakistan bowler Umar Gul also praised South Africa for attacking India's top spinner Varun Chakravarthy. 

“They survived the powerplay even after losing 3 wickets for 41 runs. But the middle overs are what shape the match. Then the last 3-4 overs are very important to finish strongly. South Africa targeted Varun Chakravarthy's four overs and exposed that plan. India looked confused about their fifth bowler. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube struggled, and even Chakaravarthy looked under pressure,” he said.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Suryakumar Yadav Saqlain Mushtaq Shoaib Akhtar T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket