The defending champions are facing a must-win situation in their remaining Super 8 fixtures.
Team India suffered their first defeat of the T20 World Cup 2026, going down by 76 runs to South Africa in their opening Super 8 fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 22).
The batting once again crumbled under pressure as India’s innings folded for 111 in 18.5 overs while chasing a stiff target of 188.
As a result, the defending champions are now facing a must-win situation in their remaining Super 8 fixtures to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals. Two back-to-back wins might also not be enough, as the Net Run Rate took a severe hit after the thrashing at the hands of Proteas.
Despite the dismal show, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged the Gautam Gambhir-led management to avoid making wholesale changes.
In particular, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma are experiencing a slump in form. While the left-handed opener has bagged three ducks in four innings, Tilak has failed to produce a significant score at No. 3.
Ashwin said the easy ‘solution’ might be to drop players like Abhishek and Tilak, but warned that this could cause ‘insecurity’ in the dressing room.
“It is time to find solutions," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat. “We think solutions are made by making changes. No. Players will find solutions themselves if there is stability in the team. We have to keep the environment such that players feel stable and think for themselves and bring in solutions. We cannot think of always making changes. They will go into insecurity otherwise."
India will face Zimbabwe in their next Super 8 clash on February 22 at Chepauk, followed by the West Indies on March 1 in Kolkata.
While Ashwin called for Axar Patel’s return to the playing XI for Zimbabwe game, he added that other changes might be weighed against the risks.
“At the end of this defeat, I cannot think what they will do. They can think of many things. You have to bring Axar back. Playing in Chennai, they may think of another spinner and Kuldeep. They might think of Sanju Samson, as there are talks about Tilak and Abhishek. But if we can keep things stable, these thoughts will not come. In such a campaign, I am not saying do not make changes for people who are not in form, but if you keep making changes, there will be doubt within the dressing room," he remarked.