Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has launched a scathing attack on the Indian batting team after their humiliating 76-run defeat to South Africa in the Super Eights of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad.
The Indian team was chasing 188 runs, but was eliminated by 111 runs in the 19th over. The match triggered a collapse early on when in-form opener Ishan Kishan perished for a four-ball duck in the first over, losing to Aiden Markram’s part-time spin.
Srikkanth didn’t mince words about this harebrained start while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“Ishan Kishan was almost caught in the last delivery but he was batting hard. Is it necessary to bat in the next delivery? Rinku Singh could only score single-digit scores wherever he batted. Bilateral series are easy to play compared to ICC events. The batsmen will now re-examine their approach going forward. Abhishek Sharma has changed from striker to non-striker in this match.”
The former opener also questioned the team’s batting order, blaming Suryakumar Yadav for not taking more responsibility.
“Suryakumar Yadav made a big mistake. He should have been batted at No. 3. He only said that all positions except the opener are flexible. This left-right combination is rubbish. That’s what led to Hardik Pandya being batted at No. 7. Only good cricket and your mentality matter.”
Suryakumar was at No. 4 as India faltered at 5/2, managing just 18 off 22 deliveries. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was surprisingly relegated to seventh spot, scoring 18 off 17 balls.
Srikanth was particularly angry at the decision to give Washington Sundar the lead over the established finisher when India were 26/3 in the fifth over. Sundar, who moved up to fifth position, scored 11 out of 11 balls and was chasing further and further away.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous. India were humiliated in every aspect today. This is what we usually do against our opponents, but today the roles were reversed. Hardik Pandya performed well in pressure situations and was at No. 5. He should have been at No. 5. Instead, they have relegated him to No. 7, which is completely unfair. Having Hardik Pandya at No. 7 is a ridiculous decision,” Srikanth said.
He warned that the fallout from such a disastrous defeat could be lasting.
“The mentality of the Indian batsmen will become more negative. India’s batting was not consistent throughout the match. It was just saved by one or two players and even errors occurred in this match. Dube hit some sixes at the end but after the match, it was all empty calories.”
Barring Shivam Dube’s 42, no Indian batsman could cross the 20-mark mark, one of their most disappointing batting performances in recent years and leaving their Super Eights campaign hanging in the balance.
