Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a sharp swipe at head coach Gautam Gambhir over what he termed baffling tactical calls in the Super 8 clash against South Africa, where the defending champions slumped to a 76-run defeat, their heaviest-ever loss in T20 World Cup history. The result left India, who were tipped to become the first side to retain the title, on the brink of elimination.
Speaking to CricketNext, Manjrekar mocked Gambhir’s apparent reliance on Washington Sundar, suggesting the all-rounder had become the solution to every problem, whether with the bat or ball. The remarks came amid criticism of Sundar’s selection ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel against South Africa, a move the team management described as purely tactical.
Manjrekar also questioned India promoting Sundar up the order, ahead of in-form Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh.
“Kailash Jeevan, there used to be a medicine by that name back in the day. If you had a headache, you’d apply it. If you had a stomach ache, you’d take it. It was an all-in-one remedy. Gautam Gambhir seems to have an all-in-one solution for everything too, Washington Sundar. If there’s a batting issue, Washi is the answer. If there’s a bowling problem, same answer. He was promoted up the order to No. 6 or 7 today, and Rinku… it was just too much,” he said.
India will play their second Super 8 match against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday.
With Zimbabwe fielding five right-handers in their top seven, Axar Patel is likely to return. However, there remains a possibility that Sundar could retain his place, particularly if Rinku Singh, who reportedly left the camp due to a family emergency, is unavailable.
India currently stand third in the Group 1 table in the Super 8 stage after the loss against South Africa. They still have two more games remaining, the other being the match against the West Indies on March 1 in Kolkata. India need to win both games by big margins to make a case for semifinal qualification alongside either the Windies or the Proteas.
