Fans React As Star Sports Shows Stark Difference In David Miller And Tilak Varma’s Power Hitting

South Africa humbled India by 76 runs in the Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, February 22, 2026. It must not have only shaken India's confidence but also dented their semi-final chances.

India's embarrassing defeat against the Proteas in front of a packed Ahmedabad crowd exposed the vulnerabilities of a fragile Indian top-order, which were masked in the bilateral series before the tournament because of flat pitches and individual brilliance.

One of the major reasons for India's devastating defeat has been the non-performing top-order, and Tilak Varma has been a major part of the problem.

While Abhishek Sharma has not troubled the scorers in three out of the four occasions, Varma has been getting starts in most of the matches, but his strike rate has moved at snail's pace in comparison to today's lofty standards, and his ability to rotate strike against spinners on slow pitches has been his perennial issue.

All the chatter surrounding his strike rate seems to have affected his game, which was seen in his rash attempt to clear the circle on the 2nd ball of his arrival, leading to his downfall against South Africa.

Tilak Varma has only managed to score 107 runs across five matches in the T20 World Cup so far at an average of 21.40 and a strike rate of around 120.

In contrast to Tilak, South Africa's David Miller has looked at ease against both spin and pace against India in the crucial Super 8 clash. The veteran southpaw batter slammed a majestic 63 off just 35 balls and played a vital role in taking his team to 187/7 from 20/3.

Historically, the majority of South African batters are not known for their ability to take spinners, especially in Indian conditions, but the current crop of Proteas has evidently shown tremendous resolve to not only negotiate the turners, but also take down the tweakers.

In their Super 8 game against India, they punished the Indian spinners, including World No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakaravarthy, effectively neutralising the spin threat. The leggie conceded 47 runs in his four overs.

Social Media Questions Broadcaster's Skill Assessment Parameters

Despite the stark contrast in approaches of both the batters at Ahmedabad, the Star Sports' skill scale meter showed a different picture than the reality on the ground, which got the social media talking about the measuring standards and reliability of these gimmicky features.

David Miller Vs Tilak Varma - T20I Career Stats

David Miller

Matches: 134

Runs: 2735

Average: 34.62

Strike Rate: 142

Tilak Varma

Matches: 45

Runs: 1290

Average: 44.48

Strike Rate: 141

David Miller has been a constant feature in the South African team since 2010, while Tilak Varma made his debut for India in 2023.

Tilak Varma's average is significantly higher than Miller's, but there's a huge difference in the sample size, which makes it an unfair comparison, while Miller's average is also healthy considering his longevity in the format.

Also, it should be considered that Miller batted in the middle and lower-middle order for the majority of his career, which makes his numbers even more effective than Tilak's, who has batted at No.3 for most parts in his short career span.

Also, the strike rates of both the batters are pretty similar, but given the current form and the consistency of the Proteas batter over such a long time, he is a better bet than his Indian counterpart at the current stage.