T20 World Cup 2026: ‘Shakeup India needed’- Ravi Shastri on loss to South Africa; tells Gambhir to choose between Axar and Sundar

India will face Zimbabwe in Chennai on Feb 26 and West Indies on March 1 in Kolkata.

Ravi Shastri, ex-India captain and head coach, has stated that the drubbing that India received from South Africa in the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2026 was the wake-up call that India needed. India was defeated by South Africa by 76 runs in Ahmedabad in a one-sided contest.

With their aspirations of making it to the semifinals, Shastri believed the defending champions needed that shock. To give India time to reevaluate their plans for the final two Super 8 games, which are against West Indies in Kolkata on March 1 and Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday, Shastri said the setback should have occurred early in the tournament rather than later.

“I’m actually glad it’s happened early, especially against a team that’s tipped to make the semi-finals anyway. It might just be the shake-up India needed. It could also force them to rethink their strategy and the composition of the side going forward. I’m sure they’ll bounce back. They would have learned from that experience and won’t take things for granted. In the Super 8, if you lose another game, you’re really putting yourself under serious pressure,” Shastri said on the ICC Review show.

Shastri also shared his thoughts on the debate of selection between Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. Axar Patel was benched for Sundar against South Africa in Ahmedabad, with the team management calling it a tactical call. Axar is expected to get back in the India XI against Zimbabwe, given that they have five right-handers in their top seven.

Shastri said the management could even field both spin all-rounders. He argued that doing so would preserve batting depth while providing an extra bowling option.

“I think they’ve got to bring him back. You need that experience. I’d say play both if you can; give yourself that extra option, because on any given day, one bowler is bound to have an off day. For example, Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t at his best yesterday and paid the price for it. So you need that backup. That strengthens your No. 8. If Axar Patel is playing, he could bat at eight. You’ve got Hardik Pandya at five, Shivam Dube at six, Washington Sundar at seven, and Axar at eight. Axar can even bat at five if required,” he said.

According to Shastri, head coach Gautam Gambhir would have to make the difficult decision to bench specialist finisher Rinku Singh if both Sundar and Axar were to play.

“If eight batters can’t get the job done in T20 cricket, then something’s wrong, especially with that kind of firepower. Where you’re falling short is not giving yourself that extra bowling option, which I think is important. That might mean Rinku Singh misses out, but if he comes in, it should be in place of a specialist batter,” Shastri concluded.