ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up: India beat South Africa by 30 runs

Indian batters had promising roles in the warm-up game ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as the Men in Blues beat South Africa by 30 runs in the high-scoring practice game at Dr Y Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday (February 4).

After India chose to bat first, they scored 240/5 in 20 overs. In reply, South Africa managed to score 210/7 in 20 overs.

Ishan Kishan slammed half-century, while other batters also played strong innings

The Indian team started with new opening partners Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, as they had an 80-run partnership in just 5.4 overs. After scoring 53 off 20 balls with two fours and seven sixes, Ishan retired out, while Abhishek scored 24 off 18 balls with three fours and one six before he was retired hurt.

Tilak Varma then smashed 45 off 19 balls with three fours and three sixes, while captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 30 off 16 balls with two fours and two sixes. Also, Axar Patel scored 35 not out off 23 balls with two fours and two sixes, while Hardik Pandya smashed 30 off just 10 balls with two fours and three sixes. Before Hardik, Rinku Singh scored 16 off 13 balls with one four and one six. 

Watch: “Marker to do” – Tilak Varma throws cap back during India’s T20 World Cup 2026 warmup match

South African top batters struggled, Abhishek Sharma got two wickets

In reply, captain and opener Aiden Markram scored 38 off 19 balls with two fours and four sixes, while the no.3 batter Ryan Rickelton scored 44 off 21 balls with four fours and three sixes. The other opener George Linde was dismissed in the first over for a four-ball duck, while Dewald Brevis was dismissed for only two runs, and David Miller was out for only 13 runs. 

Late, South African batters showed some positiveness, as Jason Smith scored 35 off 23 balls (four fours and one six), while Tristan Stubbs scored 45 not out off just 21 balls with one four and four sixes. Also, Marco Jansen slammed 31 off 16 balls with three fours and two sixes. 

Among the Indian bowlers, Arshdeep Singh (4-0-29-1) and Shivam Dube (4-0-57-1) completed four-over quotas, while Abhishek Sharma took two wickets and had the bowling figures of 3-0-32-2.