Former India captain Kris Srikkanth launched a scathing attack on the Indian batting unit following their crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa national cricket team in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight clash in Ahmedabad.Chasing 188, India imploded spectacularly and were bundled out for 111 in the 19th over. The collapse was triggered early when in-form opener Ishan Kishan perished for a four-ball duck in the very first over, falling to the part-time off-spin of Aiden Markram.
Reacting to the reckless start, Srikkanth did not mince his words while speaking on his YouTube channel.“Ishan Kishan was almost caught at mid-on the previous delivery, yet he is slogging the next ball. Was it necessary to slog the next delivery? Rinku Singh only scores single digits wherever he comes to bat. It’s easy to play in bilateral series compared to ICC events. The batters will now second-guess their approach going forward. Abhishek Sharma already went from striker to non-striker in this match.”The former opener also questioned the team’s batting order, pointing fingers at Suryakumar Yadav for not taking more responsibility.“Suryakumar Yadav made a big mistake. He should have come in at No.3. He only said all the spots except the openers are flexible. This left-right combination is all rubbish. It’s what led to Hardik Pandya coming at 7. Only playing good cricket and your mentality matters.”Suryakumar walked in at No.4 with India tottering at 5/2 and managed just 18 off 22 deliveries. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was surprisingly pushed down to No.7, where he scored 18 from 17 balls.Srikkanth was particularly furious about the decision to send Washington Sundar ahead of established finishers when India were 26/3 in the fifth over. Sundar, promoted to No.5, made a laboured 11 off 11 balls as the chase slipped further away.“It was absolutely ridiculous. India were humiliated today on all fronts. It’s what we usually do to opponents, but the roles were reversed today. Hardik Pandya has done well in pressure situations at 5. He should have come in at No.5. Instead, they sent him at 7, which was totally unfair. Hardik Pandya coming in at No.7 was ridiculous decision-making,” said Srikkanth.He warned that the fallout from such a heavy defeat could linger.“The Indian batters’ mindsets will become further negative. India’s batting throughout the tournament has not been consistent. It’s just been bailed out by one or two players and even that went for a toss this match. Dube hit some sixes at the end, but it was all empty calories after the game was already over.”Apart from Shivam Dube’s 42, none of the Indian batters managed to cross 20, marking one of their most disappointing batting performances in recent memory and leaving their Super Eight campaign hanging in the balance.
