AHMEDABAD, INDIA: India came into the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup as joint hosts as well as its defending champions, but are now in turmoil after having faced a humiliating loss to South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.
Their bowlers had a phenomenal start to the game as they got Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram – both stalwarts – out early in the game. But their consistency in hitting the right areas did not last long, as Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis started mounting a fightback.
While India’s mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy’s variations started to seem ordinary, all-rounder Shivam Dube’s low full-tosses outside off were sent packing into the stands with ease. Soon, the 37-year-old David Miller came on to bat, and the three of them together fuelled the Proteas batting unit to post a mammoth total of 187/7.
India soon came out to bat, but the visitors were prepared. The South African bowling repertoire was able to send Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma back to the dugout in the powerplay itself. Abhishek Sharma, who entered this flagship event as the world’s no. 1 T20 batter, failed miserably to live up to the expectations and fulfill his true potential.
After scoring a duck in the first three games of the T20 World Cup, Abhishek was finally able to hit a six but fell for a mere 15 before mistiming a hoick off a slower delivery from Marco Jansen.
Soon enough, India experienced a sequential collapse, and they were all out for a mere 111 runs. This loss not only hampered their net run rate but also lessened their chances of qualification for the next round.
Now the question is – was it really meant to go this way? Did India enter the tournament as ‘overconfident’ defending champions of the T20 World Cup? While cricket pundits all across the globe have already had their takes on this game, let’s have a look at three potential differences that could have turned the tables in India’s favour.
Axar Patel in, Washington Sundar out in the T20 World Cup
With Suryakumar Yadav as captain, Axar Patel was elected as the vice-captain of India’s T20I side. Strangely, however, Patel was left out of the XI against South Africa because the latter were expected to play with three left-handed batters.
Patel’s wealth of experience and skill with the bat to play a cameo in the death overs were overlooked by coach Gautam Gambhir, and his ability to deliver full-length drifters was conveniently forgotten.
On the contrary, Washington Sundar’s off-breaks were a supposedly easy-to-go opportunity for South Africa because there wasn’t much flight to induce false strokes, unlike Patel’s. It was also vital to have the vice-captain on the field to help Yadav.
Doubts over Abhishek Sharma’s form
It is safe to say that Abhishek Sharma, the world’s no. 1 T20I batter, hasn’t been able to live up to his title in this T20 World Cup. After scoring three consecutive ducks, he was only able to garner a total of 15 runs against South Africa.
South Africa were well-versed with Sharma’s strengths and weaknesses. It was visible in their bowling strategy soon after the southpaw launched one of the short-pitched deliveries into the stands. They didn’t let him play his free-flowing shots and were finally able to trap him with a slower full-length delivery.
But the discussion doesn’t end here. Sanju Samson’s wealth of experience and sense of responsibility while chasing a total in the T20 format surpasses Abhishek’s credibility and recent form. India must strategise well for their T20 World Cup games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies, and prefer Samson over Sharma.
The significance of their games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies – minnows on paper – will not be lost to the Indians. They will have to win both their games by huge margins to boost their net run-rate.
In this group of death, if South Africa, the Windies and India all finish with two wins each, only the top two sides (decided based on higher net run-rate) will make it through to the semifinals. India’s hopes of defending their T20 World Cup title hang on their next two games.
If you liked this article, consider subscribing to our website to stay in touch with the latest updates in sports. You can also follow the India Sports Tribune on X and Instagram. We would love to talk to you!
Leave a Reply