India put on an eye-catching batting performance to defeat South Africa by 30 runs in Wednesday's T20 World Cup warm-up match in Navi Mumbai.

Six of the seven India batsmen to face more than one ball scored a minimum of 24, with Ishan Kishan (53), Tilak Varma (45) and Axar Patel (35 not out) leading the way.

Having opted to bat first, India set their visitors a daunting target of 241, with Ishan retiring out after his 20-ball knock and Abhishek Sharma (24) doing likewise two overs later.

Anrich Nortje (1-57) and Kagiso Rabada (0-44) were particularly expensive as the Proteas' entire bowling attack struggled to make an impact, though Marco Jansen took the standout wicket to remove the dangerous Varma, with India getting to 240-5.

South Africa's chase never truly got going as George Linde fell to Arshdeep Singh for an early duck, with Aiden Markram (38) retiring after six overs, five days out from their World Cup opener against Canada. A run of dismissals between the eighth and 11th overs then left the Proteas at 100-5. 

Their margin of defeat would have been far more comprehensive if not for Shivam Dube (1-57) bowling a couple of expensive overs at the death, giving up 22 and 20 with Tristan Stubbs (45 not out) striking three straight sixes to make things more respectable for the 2024 World Cup runners-up.

Last edition's finalists put on an entertaining contest in the #T20WorldCup warm-up 

Read more from the day's action  https://t.co/0qsO0v6asu pic.twitter.com/QGgrxpr4PV

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 4, 2026

Data Debrief: Kishan turns heads in warm-up win

Ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against the United States on Saturday, India issued a reminder of why their explosive batting order is so feared in this format. 

Kishan mixed in two fours and seven sixes during his remarkable early stint at the crease, during which he only faced 20 balls, and you have to wonder just how many runs he might have scored if this was a competitive match. 

Two of his four best scores in T20Is (103 and 76, both versus New Zealand) have come in the last two weeks, and India's group-stage opponents will be looking for ways to get him out early.