India’s 76-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 has once again forced the spotlight on the pressing issues, such as team selection and the growing obsession with batting all-rounders. For the contest against the Proteas, the think tank spearheaded by head coach Gautam Gambhir, decided to field Washington Sundar in the playing XI ahead of the more accomplished Axar Patel. The call was dictated by the presence of three left-handers in the Proteas batting lineup, namely, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and David Miller.
The tenth edition of the tournament has also seen Kuldeep Yadav playing just the one match against Pakistan in Colombo. The hosts have decided to keep him on the bench, as Varun Chakaravarthy has been preferred over him.
However, former Pakistan opening batter Ahmed Shehzad isn’t a fan of leaving Kuldeep on the bench. He categorically told Gambhir to get his act together and field the correct lineup, or else India could quickly find themselves out of the competition, despite being the favourites.
While making his point, Shehzad highlighted how both Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube were hit around the park, and there was no fallback option. He stated that had Jasprit Bumrah not been there, South Africa would have easily gone past the 200-run mark.
“After Varun Chakaravarthy got smacked, Shivam Dube had to be called into the attack. He bowled two dot balls, still the over went for 15. On Indian grounds, it is very hard to contain the batters. India’s bowling attack is not complete; they still aren’t playing Kuldeep Yadav. You need to bless Jasprit Bumrah; he single-handedly ensured that South Africa didn’t go beyond 200,” Shehzad said on the ‘Haarna Mana Hai’ show.
“Gautam Gambhir is the one who is doing all the planning. So I think they need to reconsider their strategy. India are one of the favourites for the World Cup, but if they continue to field this XI, it would be difficult for them to qualify for the semi-finals,” he added.
Mohammad Amir agrees
Sitting on the same panel as Shehzad, Amir stated that when playing on a good batting surface, there is no need to have more and more batters, as it is imperative to have good wicket-taking options.
“It doesn’t matter how big a team you are, you won’t be able to get on the winning ways against the bigger teams unless and until you play the right combination,” said Amir.
Speaking of the match between India and South Africa, the latter batted first after winning the toss and posted 187/7 in 20 overs. David Miller top-scored with 63 while Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs chipped in with knocks of 45 and 44*.
Marco Jansen then took four wickets to bundle out India for 111, and the Proteas registered an emphatic win.
