Aiden Markram-led South Africa hosted Suryakumar Yadav-led India in the fourth and final T20I of the series at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15.
Aiden Markram’s South African National Cricket Team suffered a humiliating 135-run defeat against the Men in Blue to lose the series 1-3.
Also read: Watch: Arshdeep Singh gets injured in 4th T20I vs SA in huge blow for India
South Africa were destroyed by India in the 4th T20I
The Proteas lost the toss and were bowled first in the match. South African bowlers were made to look frantic by Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson as the Indian batsmen unleashed their beast mode.
Tilak and Samson smashed the bowlers all over the park and scored terrific centuries. All the South African bowlers conceded runs with an economy of over 10, with only Lutho Sipamla managing to pick a wicket.
It’s pretty hard to be honest – Aiden Markram
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Aiden Markram said that it was difficult for him to be on the losing side and admitted that they were completely superior to the Indian team. He said:
“It’s quite difficult to be honest. He played absolutely brilliantly in all three aspects of the game. You have to give them credit, they put us under pressure with bat and ball and it was difficult for us to come back.”
Aiden Markram then sent a brave message to his players, especially the bowlers to do some honest thinking and get better. Aiden Markram said:
“You have to do some honest thinking. Nowadays you don’t just hit stumps, you have to make broad lines and set plans. We might miss one or two but that’s part of the development of the team. And when we build up to 2026, hopefully is busy
“As a team we will have a good mindset, as a white ball team we have a little bit of time, we get involved a little bit and eventually we will come back with better players with better skills and better execution.”
In the end, Aiden Markram named Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee as the two biggest positives for South Africa from the T20I series against India. Aiden Markram said:
“It’s up to each individual where they want to go and where they want to invest. Marco Jansen has been incredible in this series, Gerald Coetzee has been incredible, it’s not easy at Highveld, their never-say-die attitude and those are the parts we can take as a team and move forward.”
How has South Africa performed in their previous 3 matches against India?
In the previous T20I clashes, South Africa had a mixed performance against India. In the first T20I in Durban, the hosts struggled to keep pace with India’s mammoth total of 202, reaching 141 in just 17.5 overs.
Sanju Samson’s powerful 50-ball 107 set the tone for India as South Africa’s batting line-up buckled under the pressure. Despite promising starts from the likes of Ryan Rickelton and Heinrich Klaasen, they failed to mount a serious comeback, losing wickets at regular intervals.
He won by three wickets with six balls remaining in the second T20I at Qkeberha, South Africa. India managed a modest total of 124 and although South Africa faced challenges against the disciplined bowling of Varun Chakraborty (5/17), Tristan Stubbs held his own with an unbeaten 47 to guide the team to victory.
In the third T20I at Centurion, South Africa struggled to chase down the target of 220. Marco Jansen’s blistering 54 off 17 balls took them within striking distance, but they fell short by 11 runs to finish on 208/7. Consistent contributions from the top order showed promise, but India’s controlled bowling at the death stopped their chase just shy of victory.
