India National Cricket Team suffered a heavy defeat by 76 runs against South Africa last Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue had a batting collapse while chasing a target of 188 runs they were bundled out for 111 runs. After this heavy loss, several former players and pundits, including Sanjay Manjrekar, criticised India’s overloaded left-hand batters.
Teams have identified Suryakumar Yadav’s side weakness, which has been slower balls and spin, especially off-spin. The openers have struggled against off-spinners. However, cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has taken a dig at the Indian batters as they were not responsible and had the courage to play big shots while they were struggling at 5/2.
You need players who don’t get anxious playing the big shots – Sanjay Manjrekar
Majrekar had also talked about the turning point of the match. He believed that South Africa, after having a small collapse of 20/3, David Miller and Dewald Brevis took the charge and showcased controlled aggression without taking the pressure.
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Turning point of SA v India game was when after being 20/3, SA really took off!
Every over after that, was a high scoring one. That’s how you win batting 1st. And for that you need players who don’t get anxious playing the big shots after the loss of 2/3 wickets.— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) February 24, 2026
Manjrekar said via X (formerly Twitter), “Turning point of SA v India game was when after being 20/3, SA really took off! Every over after that, was a high scoring one. That’s how you win batting 1st. And for that you need players who don’t get anxious playing the big shots after the loss of 2/3 wickets.”
Shivam Dube, the lone star for India
Except for Shivam Dube, no other batter could score over 30 runs. The former scored 42 off 37 balls. India need to win their next two matches and hope that South Africa win all their group stage matches in order to qualify for the semi-finals. The Men in Blue have been one of the favourites to win the tournament.
After the loss against the Proteas, the India National Cricket Team’s record of a 17-match winning streak in the ICC tournaments came to an end. The loss also broke the 12-match win record in the T20 World Cups.
However, their performance has not been at their very best. Suryakumar Yadav’s side need to bring their best performance in the next game against Zimbabwe on Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The Chevrons have been brilliant in the tournament so far; however, they suffered a hefty defeat on Monday against the West Indies.
Sanju Samson to get a nod against Zimbabwe?
The India National Cricket Team might bring in some changes in the squad, with Sanju Samson being brought in to reduce the over-reliance on the left-handers, as he can open the innings, and Ishan Kishan dropping to three to keep a combination of left-hand right hand. Then, as per the situation, the rest of the batters can bat.
India National Cricket Team would win their next game by a big margin as their net run rate has been on the negative side after the humiliating loss last weekend. Abhishek Sharma needs to perform from the start as the aggressive opener has failed to have an impact on the game with three ducks and a 15-run innings.
Also Read: Suryakumar, Agarkar, Gambhir: Why T20 World Cup 2026 Could Get Them Sacked