After India slumped to a crushing 76-run defeat against South Africa in their Super Eights clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, former India great Sunil Gavaskar highlighted a clear difference in strategy. Gavaskar, while slamming the Indian cricket team’s strategy, noted that the Proteas demonstrated adaptability that India could not showcase. David Miller’s quickfire 63 turned the game for the Proteas Riding on David Miller's 63 off 35 balls and Dewald Brevis’ 45, South Africa recovered from 20/3 to post 187/7 before bundling India out for 111 in 18.5 overs in front of 90,954 fans at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Furthermore, Marco Jansen's 4-22 and Keshav Maharaj’s 3-24 dismantled India’s chase, which never gathered momentum after slipping to 51/5 inside 10 overs. Sunil Gavaskar hails Miller and Brevis Reflecting on the game, Sunil Gavaskar underlined how Miller and Brevis rebuilt the innings on a sluggish black soil pitch where the ball held up and stroke-making was far from straightforward. While speaking at a post-match show, Sunil Gavaskar said, “If you look at the way Dewald Brevis and David Miller rebuilt the South African innings, they played a lot more shots in the ‘V’, especially when the short ball was used. They adjusted really well. They realised the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat as quickly as expected; it was holding up slightly in the surface. Having seen how they constructed their innings and built that partnership, that was the kind of approach that was needed, rather than simply throwing the bat at just about everything,” as per IANS. Gavaskar’s remarks came in the backdrop of India’s hurried batting display, where several top-order batters perished attempting expansive strokes instead of consolidating after early setbacks. Careless batting approach by Indian batsmen Ishan Kishan fell to a wild slog, Tilak Varma was undone by extra bounce, and Abhishek Sharma’s brief counterattack ended via a top edge, as South Africa’s bowlers exploited conditions smartly. On the other hand, David Miller, who has extensive experience at the venue from his IPL stint with the Gujarat Titans, paced his innings expertly, finding boundaries through orthodox strokeplay before accelerating. Alongside Miller, middle-order batsman Dewald Brevis complemented him with calculated aggression, as their 97-run partnership steadied the innings after the early blows inflicted by Jasprit Bumrah (3-15) and Arshdeep Singh (2-28). India’s defeat ended their 12-match winning streak in T20 World Cups and marked their first loss in an ICC World Cup game since the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the same venue. (With inputs from IANS)
23 February,2026 12:36 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentFormer Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Sophie Shine. Confirming the news through social media posts on Saturday, Shikhar Dhawan’s wedding reportedly took place in the Delhi-NCR region. Indian batting star Shikhar and Sophie Shine have been in a relationship for almost a year. Dhawan confirmed their relationship in May 2025 and a few months back. However, later around January 2026, the couple announced their engagement on the social media platform Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shikhar Dhawan (@shikhardofficial) While taking it to Instagram, Dhawan also expressed that their wedding outfit was designed by famous designer Manish Malhotra. "Mr and Mrs Dhawan. Outfit – @manishmalhotra05," said Dhawan in his post. Yuzvendra Chahal gives a sneak-peek into Shikhar Dhawan’s wedding Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal gave fans a peek into Shikhar and Sophie Shine's wedding celebrations by sharing pictures from the ceremony on Saturday. The wedding that reportedly took place in the Delhi NCR region was attended by close friends and family members, including former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. Chahal, while taking it to social media, posted cheerful moments from the celebrations, including a picture of Dhawan dressed in traditional groom’s attire alongside Sophie. Yuzvendra Chahal, while posting the photo of the newlywed couple, wrote, “Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai,” expressing his excitement for his former teammate’s big day. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal23) Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan had also shared pictures from his sangeet ceremony on Instagram. “Sangeet Night, almost the Dhawans,” he wrote in his post. Sophie, too, had offered fans a glimpse of the pre-wedding festivities by sharing photos from her haldi ceremony. Dhawan and Sophie’s love story began in Dubai Their love story reportedly began several years ago in Dubai, and since then, Sophie has been a constant presence in Dhawan’s life, reported IANS. Since then, the couple has built a strong following on social media, where their light-hearted and humorous reels are widely appreciated by fans. This is Dhawan’s second marriage. His first marriage to Ayesha Mukherjee ended in 2021. Dhawan officially retired from all forms of international and domestic cricket on August 24, 2024. During his international career, Indian batting star Shikhar Dhawan established himself as one of India’s most dependable openers, especially in limited-overs cricket. Dhawan was known for his performances in major ICC tournaments; he earned the nickname 'Mr ICC' for his consistency on the global stage. Across 269 international matches, Dhawan scored 10,867 runs and registered 24 centuries, leaving behind a significant legacy in Indian cricket. (With inputs from IANS)
23 February,2026 12:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer India opener Shikhar Dhawan got married to Irish businesswoman Sophie Shine in a glamorous private ceremony on Saturday. On Sunday, Dhawan uploaded a picture with Sophie, where he’s sporting an all-black suit while she’s in a silver dress, and captioned it: “Mere dil vich hai Hum-Tum.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shikhar Dhawan (@shikhardofficial)
23 February,2026 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentHardik Pandya is not just making headlines on the field while playing for India at the ongoing T20 World Cup, but is also doing so off it. The India all-rounder has gifted ex-wife Natasa Stankovic and son Agastya, a brand new SUV, valued at a whopping Rs 4 crore. In a video uploaded on Land Rover’s Instagram account, Natasa and Agastya are seen standing alongside the SUV, accepting the keys to the vehicle. The caption accompanying the post reveals that the car chosen by Pandya has been “presented to Agastya and Ms Stankovic.” Natasa Stankovic. Pic/Natasa's Instagram Next to the mother and child is a signboard that reads ‘From Papa to Agastya’. Pandya’s act has been praised by some of his fans as a sign of mature co-parenting, given the couple parted ways in July 2024. “Such a good father,” commented one Instagram user on the post.
23 February,2026 09:11 AM IST | New Delhi | A CorrespondentIndian women's team wants to consistently stay at the top and dominate world cricket, said vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. Riding high on their maiden 50-over World Cup triumph, the Women in Blue have now set their sights on winning the T20 World Cup later this year. They began the year with a T20 series win against Australia, their first series triumph over the formidable rivals in a decade. "This Indian team is something which we have spoken about is trying to be consistent. Don't think about opposition or what's happened in the past. So we've beaten this, we've beaten that. I feel that's not very important now," Mandhana said on BCCI.tv "I think we are on the verge of a transition where we want to dominate world cricket. And whoever we beat, wherever we beat, that doesn't matter. We just want to be consistent in beating them and being at the top," she added. In the series-deciding third T20, Mandhana played a match-setting 82 and, alongside Jemimah who contributed 59, forged a 121-run partnership that propelled India to 176 for 6 before the bowlers stifled Australia for 159 for 9. "I mean, I really loved Adelaide as a city, even before playing here. And yeah, it's just very peaceful, nice. I mean, a few Aussies will be very happy when I say that it's the best city in Australia, and actually, I find it the best city in Australia." The women's T20 World Cup is slated to be held in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5. "This year is a T20 year. Last year was a one-day year where we played a lot of one-day cricket. "So coming into this year, for sure, I feel like we are a well-settled ODI squad, but we are still working on our T20 game and also what's our best XI and what's our best 15 in terms of T20s. For sure, WPL has played a huge role for us to get better at T20s," she added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 February,2026 08:48 AM IST | Adelaide | PTITejal Hasanbis made an impactful 51 not out off 34 balls on a slow turner before leg-spinner Prema Rawat made the ball talk as India A outplayed Bangladesh A by a whopping 46 runs in a low-scoring final to defend the ACC Women's Asia Cup Rising Stars here on Sunday. At 44 for four, India were in trouble but Hasanbis, who has played ODIs for India, and captain Radha Yadav, another international, (36 off 30) shared an 89-run stand for the fifth wicket to lift their team to 134 for seven in 20 overs. Considering conditions and strength of Indian bowling attack, the Radha-led side comfortably defended by bowling out Bangladesh for 88 in 19.1 overs. The star with the ball was Prema (3/12 in four overs), who was part of RCB's triumphant campaign in the recently played WPL. She gave the ball plenty of flight and got enough purchase off the surface. Bangladesh were never in the run chase having lost their first wicket for 12 runs in the third over. The procession started when Ishma Tanjim was caught off pacer Saima Thakor after unsuccessfully charging down the pitch. India A players celebrate a Bangladesh A wicket in Bangkok. Pics/BCCI Prema got her wicket with a classical leg-break that bounced a tad extra to take the outside edge of Shamima Sultana. Even in the inaugural final of the tournament in 2023, India A had got the better of Bangladesh A. Batting first, India A felt the pressure on a trick surface but Hasanbis showed plenty of skill and character to bail her team out of trouble. She batted at a strike rate of 150.00, much higher than the rest of the batters in the game to make a decisive difference. While the top four hardly contributed for India A, Hasanbis was able to clear the ropes twice with Radha providing much needed support at the end. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 February,2026 08:45 AM IST | Bangkok | PTIThe perennial question around MS Dhoni's future resurfaced once again as the Indian Premier League caravan readies for the 2026 season - will the iconic former skipper feature in all matches for Chennai Super Kings this year? Dhoni, who will turn 45 later this year, will be available for CSK for the upcoming IPL season, a top franchise source confirmed. However, with CSK's prize transfer Sanju Samson now in the ranks, it is unlikely that the legendary former India captain would play all the league games. "We can confirm this much that he is coming to Chennai and had confirmed his availability for the season," a top CSK source told PTI on condition of anonymity. "Whether he will play all games or not is something we can't say at the moment," the source added. In any case, with the Impact Player rule in place, Dhoni the batter has not been required extensively over the past two editions. His role has largely been situational, often limited to late-order cameos. This season, CSK have three wicketkeeper-batters in their line-up. Samson is certain to don the gloves in games where Dhoni does not feature. There is also Urvil Patel in the squad, besides Rs 14.20 crore recruit rookie Kartik Sharma, who will be groomed as a finisher alongside Shivam Dube. Over the years, Dhoni has managed issues related to his knee and back, and the physical demands of keeping wickets with limited turnaround time between matches can take a toll at this stage of his career. What appears certain, though, is that Dhoni will play most of CSK's home games in Chennai, where his mere walk into the Chepauk arena sends the crowd into a frenzy, underlining his enduring bond with the franchise and its faithful supporters. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 February,2026 08:15 AM IST | Ahmedabad | PTIEngland skipper Harry Brook revealed that all-rounder Will Jacks’s dismissal had a role to play in his match-defining spell of 3-22, which helped the two-time champions secure a 51-run win over Sri Lanka in their Super Eights match here on Sunday. The tournament co-hosts restricted England to an underwhelming 146-9 but then succumbed to 95, their lowest total of the tournament. For Brook, who turned 27, it was a perfect birthday gift. “Beautiful birthday present, an awesome effort to bowl them out for 100 (95),” Brook said at the presentation. England’s familiarity with conditions also helped as they have played their build-up series in Sri Lanka before the T20 World Cup, sweeping the T20Is 3-0 and winning the ODIs 2-1. “We’ve played a lot here and we knew that [spin] would play a part. He [Jacks] was annoyed with how he got out [edged one to be caught in the deep] and he said he bowls better when he’s angry. Don’t need to vary lines, more about pace. We got rewarded for that with caught-and-bowled, and a few caught on the boundary,” Brook added. 7No. of wickets claimed by England spinners — their highest in a World Cup match 12No. of consecutive T20Is England have won against Sri Lanka 95No. of runs scored by Sri Lanka — their third lowest total in T20 World Cups 51No. of runs by which England beat Sri Lanka on Sunday — their second highest in T20 World Cups after the 116-run win over Afghanistan in 2012 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 February,2026 08:12 AM IST | Pallekele | AgenciesWest Indies’s two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Daren Sammy is known for his ever-smiling and positive attitude. Adding to his joy will be the fact that the Shai Hope-led WI have won all four of their Group C matches, including two at Wankhede, against England and Nepal. However, despite their Wankhede success and the fact that their Super Eights match on Monday is against Group B leaders Zimbabwe, who have played all their matches in Colombo, Sammy, 42, insisted that the Mumbai venue holds no advantage to the Windies. “I don’t see an advantage. What we did against Nepal and against England here bears no bearing on the game tomorrow [Monday]. It’s a new opposition on a different day. We just have to assess again, decide what’s required and hopefully deliver well. At a World Cup, you’ve got to respect every opposition, but believe in yourself. That’s what I encourage my guys to do,” Sammy said in reply to a question by mid-day at the match-eve press conference here. Meanwhile, though the Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe will be playing in India for the first time in a decade, and left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza is the only other member from that 2016 squad, the Zimbabwe skipper sounded confident. “Not many of you would have picked Zimbabwe to be a semi-finalist, so maybe we haven’t done enough yet. This motivates us. These are the challenges we look forward to. I don’t know if we’ll make it or not, but one thing I can assure you from a Zimbabwe captain and a team point of view, we’ll give it our best shot,” said Raza. 2016The year Zimbabwe last played a T20I on Indian soil
23 February,2026 08:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureSouth Africa didn’t bring their ‘A’ game with the bat, but they were outstanding with the ball and in the field here as they crushed India by 76 runs. Despite the incandescence of Jasprit Bumrah, whose three for 15 was exceptional, the Proteas made the most of batting first by choice. Reduced to 20-3 after four overs, they rode on a boundary-filled 97-run alliance for the fourth wicket between David Miller and Dewald Brevis to post 187-7 in their opening World Cup Super Eights tie. South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (centre) and Keshav Maharaj celebrate the wicket of India skipper Suryakumar Yadav. Pic/AFP India clawed their way back after the Miller-Brevis blitzkrieg between overs 16 and 19 when Bumrah was at his best, but South Africa carried momentum into the interval when Tristan Stubbs took 20 off the final over of the innings, from Hardik Pandya. The hosts had lost a wicket in the first over of their innings thrice in the first four games, twice to off-spin, and continued that sequence when Ishan Kishan was gobbled up by skipper Aiden Markram off the fourth ball of the chase. That triggered a rash of wickets from which there was no coming back. Abhishek Sharma managed his first runs of the competition but was one of three wickets to fall in the Powerplay. India were never in the hunt thereafter, shackled by tight bowling, electric fielding and surefire catching to crumble to an embarrassing 111 all out. Marco Jansen made the early inroads with the sticks of Tilak Varma and Abhishek after Markram’s first-over strike, Lungi Ngidi applied the most pressure with his clever changes of pace and Keshav Maharaj helped himself to three wickets in one over. The pitch played its part when the ball was bashed in off-pace, but it was the intelligence of the South African bowlers and the surprising inability of the Indian batters to problem-solve that proved decisive.India struck only four fours and two sixes in the first 10 overs. Brief scoresSA 187-7 in 20 overs (D Miller 63, D Brevis 45, T Stubbs 44*; J Bumrah 3-15, A Singh 2-28) beat India 111 all out in 18.5 overs (S Dube 42; M Jansen 4-22, K Maharaj 3-24, C Bosch 2-12) by 76 runs OneThis is India’s first defeat after 17 consecutive wins in a major ICC tournament. Their previous loss in an ICC event came in the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the same Ahmedabad venue 31-3India’s score after six overs on Sunday — their lowest Powerplay total in the ongoing tournament 33No. of wickets claimed by pacer Jasprit Bumrah in T20 World Cups — the most by an Indian. R Ashwin and Arshdeep Singh are joint second (32) 18Consecutive innings in which Varun Chakravarthy has claimed at least one wicket in T20Is — the most by an Indian, surpassing Arshdeep Singh (17)
23 February,2026 08:08 AM IST | Ahmedabad | R KaushikIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Team India, South Africa emerged victorious by 76 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In an attempt to chase a target of 188 runs, the "Men in Blue" were bowled out for 111 runs in 18.5 overs. Opening the innings, in-form batsman Ishan Kishan was dismissed on a four-ball duck. Fellow opening batsman Abhishek Sharma managed to score 15 runs in 12 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Tilak Varma scored just one run in two balls. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav returned to the pavilion after scoring 18 runs in 22 balls, including two boundaries. Washington Sundar scored 11 runs in 11 balls, including a maximum. Shivam Dube smashed 42 runs off 37 balls, including a boundary and three maximums. Facing 17 balls, Hardik Pandya scored 18 runs, including a maximum. Rinku Singh also departed on a two-ball duck. Arshdeep Singh scored one run in two balls. Jasprit Bumrah was also dismissed on a one-ball duck. Varun Chakaravarthy stayed unbeaten on zero runs and faced three balls. South Africa's Marco Jansen claimed four wickets for 22 runs in 3.5 overs. Keshav Maharaj bagged three wickets by conceding 24 runs in three overs. Corbin Bosch and skipper Aiden Markram registered two and one wickets, respectively. Bowling three overs, Bosch conceded 12 runs, and Markram leaked five runs in one over. Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Team India. Having bowled four overs each, Rabada and Ngidi were smashed for 32 and 15 runs, respectively. Earlier, having opted to bat first, skipper Aiden Markram scored four runs in seven balls. Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock scored six runs in seven balls, including a boundary. Ryan Rickelton was also dismissed for seven runs in seven balls. His knock also included a maximum. Later, Dewald Brevis garnered 45 runs after facing 29 balls. His knock also saw him smash three boundaries and the same number of maximums. David Miller also accumulated 63 runs off just 35 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and three maximums. Facing 24 balls, Tristan Stubbs scored an unbeaten 44 runs, including a boundary and three maximums. With this, the Proteas posted a total of 187 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Team India's lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah returned with the figures of three wickets for 15 runs in four overs. Arshdeep Singh also bagged two wickets by conceding 28 runs in his spell of four overs. Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube also chipped in with one wicket each.
22 February,2026 10:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
