Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar mocked coach Gautam Gambhir’s over-reliance on all-rounder Washington Sundar after the Suryakumar Yadav-led side suffered a 76-run crushing loss to South Africa in their Super 8 opener in Ahmedabad.
The defeat, India’s heaviest in T20 World Cup history, left the defending champions on the brink of elimination and dealt a significant blow to their net run rate. Having been tipped as favourites to become the first team to retain the title, India now find themselves in a must-win situation in their remaining fixtures.
Manjrekar took issue with what he described as questionable tactical calls, particularly Sundar’s promotion to No. 5 during India’s failed chase of 188 after a top-order collapse. The decision to pick Sundar ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel had already drawn attention, with the team management maintaining that it was a purely tactical move.
Drawing a sharp analogy, Manjrekar compared Sundar’s role in the side to a multipurpose Ayurvedic medicine.
“Kailas Jeevan, there used to be a medicine by that name back in the day. If you had a headache, you would use it. If you had a stomach issue, you would take it. It was an all-in-one remedy. Gautam Gambhir seems to have an all-in-one solution for everything too, Washington Sundar,” Manjrekar said on CNN-News18’s Stump Mic while analysing India’s batting performance.
“If there’s a batting problem, Washi. If there’s a bowling problem, Washi. He was promoted up the order to No. 5 today, and then Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya walked in at No. 7. It was just too much,” he added.
South Africa exposed India’s struggles against variations in pace, with Lungi Ngidi using slower deliveries effectively to unsettle the batters. Manjrekar said the team needed to address that weakness, especially in the case of captain Suryakumar Yadav.
“Forget fast bowling, focus on playing the slower balls. They are not able to handle slower balls or spinners. The captain is struggling the most against slower deliveries,” he said.
India will next face Zimbabwe in what is now a must-win contest as they seek to keep their semi-final hopes alive. They will also need a substantial victory to repair the damage to their net run rate after the heavy defeat in Ahmedabad.
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