NEW DELHI: David Miller rolled back the years with some breathtaking strokes, but Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant opening and closing spells kept South Africa to a competitive 187 for seven in their Super Eights clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

Miller, nearing 37, smashed 63 off just 35 balls and received valuable support from the young Dewald Brevis, who scored 45 off 29 deliveries. Bumrah (3/15 in 4 overs) and Arshdeep Singh (2/28 in 4 overs) had earlier reduced the Proteas to a precarious 20 for 3 inside the first four overs.

Bumrah, after claiming two wickets in his first two overs for only seven runs, returned late in the innings to take another scalp while conceding just eight more runs across the 17th and 19th overs. He bowled 12 dot balls in total, including two maiden overs.

Despite early setbacks, Miller and Brevis mounted a swift and punishing counterattack. They added 97 runs in just 8.2 overs, punishing spinners including Varun Chakravarthy (1/47 in 4 overs), who struggled to contain them. The pair hit six towering sixes between them, but were eventually dismissed just as the Motera track started to ease for strokeplay.

Tristan Stubbs (44 not out off 24 balls) ensured South Africa crossed the 185-run mark with two huge sixes off Hardik Pandya in the final over. With dew setting in, a total beyond 200 would have given the Proteas more confidence.

The Miller Brevis Stand

Both Miller and Brevis showed excellent technique against Chakravarthy, hitting consecutive sixes in the same over. They read his variations well, stayed balanced, and generated extra power with subtle back-foot movement.

Miller’s most memorable strike was a flat-batted thump off Pandya, landing ten rows behind long-on. He reached his half-century in just 26 balls with a slashed six off Shivam Dube, whose delivery also accounted for Brevis, who mis-timed a cross-batted shot.

Bumrah First Spell

Bumrah was unplayable in his opening spell. He dismissed the dangerous Quinton de Kock with a delivery that angled into the left-hander, pitching slightly back of length, clipping the leg bail as De Kock swung across the line.

Ryan Rickleton survived the first ball but edged another angled delivery to mid-off after failing to adjust. Rickleton later pulled Arshdeep for a six, following which he was undone by a grip-and-bounce delivery from Bumrah that clipped the top of his bat, giving a simple catch to mid-off.

Bumrah’s precise seam and subtle variations put South Africa under pressure from the start, setting the tone for India’s disciplined bowling display.

(With PTI Inputs)