Sunil Gavaskar (L), Suryakumar Yadav (C), and Gautam Gambhir (R) (Source: X/AFP)
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has launched a fresh attack on Gautam Gambhir's coaching policies and Team India's recent performance. Gavaskar's remarks came in the wake of India's massive 76-run defeat against South Africa in their first Super-8 game at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
Inclusion of Washington Sundar as a replacement for the vice-captain Axar Patel was one of the decisions that left the experts fuming. Amidst all this, what seems more worrisome for India is their chances of qualification for the semi-finals.
Sunil Gavaskar calls Gautam Gambhir and Co. overconfident
Sunil Gavaskar, in his hard-and-fast-lined words, marked the multiple flaws that reflected in the Indian team's intent and strategies during the game against South Africa.
“Having seen how Brevis and Miller built their partnership, that was the approach needed from the Indian batters. The Indian batters did not do that. They came out with overconfidence, threw their bat at everything and lost wickets. South Africa clearly outsmarted India and it was a well-deserved win for them,” said Sunil Gavaskar on JioStar.
“India did not take notes from South Africa's innings. They came out and threw their bat at every delivery hoping for a boundary. That is not how you play T20 cricket. You have to learn from the opposition. If they have scored well on a tricky surface like this, you have to get rid of your ego, observe and adjust,” he added later.
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“I was disappointed with his approach” - Gavaskar on Tilak Varma
Furthermore, Sunil Gavaskar also criticised Tilak Varma’s approach in a crucial situation, when India had already lost one of their openers in the first over of the innings.
“Tilak Varma has been a very street-smart batter. But I was disappointed with his approach in this game. Ishan Kishan lost his wicket in the first over. The required rate was around 9.5 runs per over, not 15,” Gavaskar said.
“So, Tilak could have given himself more time. At the other end, Abhishek Sharma had back-to-back ducks. So, the responsibility was on Tilak to stick around, build a partnership, and get past the first six overs, but he failed to do that,”
The 'powerplay failure' exposes top-order's vulnerability
The reigning champions failed drastically to utilise the powerplay in the high-stakes game against South Africa. The Men in Blue could score just 31 runs for the loss of three crucial wickets, including Ishan Kishan (0), Abhishek Sharma (15), and Tilak Varma (1).
The flawed approach in the first six overs also compelled Sunil Gavaskar to come up with a hard stance. He also questioned the ‘always keep hitting’ intent of the batters in the powerplay.
“You don't always need to score 70 runs in the Powerplay. Even 55-60 runs would have been a good platform. But the reckless approach of the Indian batters led to their downfall in Ahmedabad,” he said. The ODI World Cup-winning batting great also put head coach Gautam Gambhir’s coaching policy under the scrutiny.
“I would look at bringing Axar Patel back into the playing XI, keeping in mind the lack of too many left-handed batters in Zimbabwe's line-up. You could possibly bring him in place of Arshdeep Singh,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
“But Arshdeep bowled so well against South Africa and you wouldn't want to change somebody who looked in such a good rhythm. So, maybe they might not make a change and go with the same team,” he concluded.
Now, the holders will take on Zimbabwe in thier next Super-8 game on Thursday, February 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Both of the remaining two games are now must-win for the Men in Blue stay alive in race to the semi-finals.
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