Marco Jansen and David Miller the heroes as Proteas smash India at ICC T20 World Cup

Believe it, the Proteas are genuine T20 World Cup contenders. 

Aiden Markram's men confounded all expectations on Sunday by trouncing co-hosts and defending champions India at the Narendra Modi Stadium

The astonishing result in Ahmedabad, with the Proteas winning by 76 runs opened up the competition, and left India now with the fearful prospect of one defeat away from being eliminated in the Super Eights stage.

Such an outcome looked utterly out of the question when the Proteas were reduced to 20/3 after four overs inside the Powerplay. It required the middle-order to do the heavy lifting with David Miller’s experience combining with the youthful exuberance of Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs. 

Miller (63 off 45 balls) added 97 for the fourth wicket with Brevis as the left-right pair led the counter-attack. A feature of the partnership was the intent they showed against the World’s No 1 T20 bowler Varun Chakravarthy.

Instead of allowing Chakravarthy to settle into his spell, Miller took two boundaries off his first over, and then went even harder and further in his next over with a 95-metre six and another boundary. 

By this stage Brevis was also getting into his stride and closed the over with another maximum to transfer the pressure on to the mystery spinner. 

Although Chakravarthy eventually had Miller caught on the boundary in his last over, India’s trump card conceded 47 runs in his four overs and the mini-battle had been won by the Proteas. 

Brevis’ also enhanced his growing reputation as a player for the big occasion with the Betway SA20 star delivering his finest innings of the competition thus far when his team needed it most. There was a great deal of maturity in the way he constructed his 45 off 29 balls (3x4, 3x6).

Equally, Stubbs’ late cameo of 44* from just 24 balls was timed to perfection as the Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain provided the impetus at the backend when India seemed to be fighting back through seamers Jasprit Bumrah (3/15) and Arshdeep Singh (2/28).

There is much to be said about taking the momentum from the batting innings into the field, and the Proteas certainly carried Stubbs’ double sixes off the last two balls through to their bowling effort.

All the talk in the build-up was about India’s left-hand dominant batting order which could potentially be exploited by captain Aiden Markram’s off spin.

The Proteas certainly wasted no time in testing the theory with Markram taking on the responsibility of bowling the first over, and his bravery was rewarded when the in-form Ishan Kishan skied the fourth ball to Ryan Rickelton at cover.

Although Abhishek Sharma finally got off the mark in this T20 World Cup with a boundary off the final ball of Markram’s over, the skipper had set in motion a batting collapse that India failed to recover from.

Marco Jansen added to India's woes with two wickets in the Powerplay - including Sharma's - but it was the Proteas' excellent catching - bar Miller's lapse towards the end - that never allowed India any room to breathe along with Lungi Ngidi's clinical execution of his slower ball. 

Corbin Bosch kept his focus to hold on to a brilliant take despite almost colliding with Keshav Maharaj, running in from mid-wicket.

And then it was Maharaj that had Stubbs to thank in the deep. With the finesse of a Russian ballerina, Stubbs tip-toed around the boundary rope to take three excellent catches in one over that sealed India's fate. 

Jansen (4/22) returned to close out an astonishing victory that will provide this Proteas team with the belief that they can indeed go all the way. 

SCOREBOARD

South Africa: 187/7

Miller 63, Brevis 45, Stubbs 44*, Bumrah 3/15, Singh 2/28

India: 111 all out

Jansen 4/22, Maharaj 3/24, Bosch 2/12, Dube 42

South Africa won by 76 runs