India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hinted at Sanju Samson’s return to the playing XI amid the team’s persistent opening failures.
The Men in Blue 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.
In particular, the form of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma has become a major talking out. While the left-handed opener has bagged three ducks in four innings, Tilak has failed to produce a significant score at No. 3.
Amid the team’s struggles, ten Doeschate didn’t rule out the possibility of Samson’s inclusion in the lineup. The wicketkeeper-batter played the group-stage match against Namibia in Abhishek’s absence and scored a quickfire 22 off 8 balls before being dismissed.
“Yeah, of course we have. And look, in the five outings we’ve had now, four teams have opened with part-time off-spin and it’s brought a wicket every time, apart from the USA game where we lost Abhishek without score in any case. So to start every innings nought for one — I think it’s literally been nought or a couple of runs for one every time — is obviously putting pressure on the players,” said ten Doeschate in the post-match presser.
The assistant coach added that the team management would deliberate on the ideal playing combination for the remaining two crucial Super 8 matches.
“Look, there’s a lot of inexperience in the team and you want a settled side. These guys have done it all before. They’re all fantastic players. So do you stick or twist? Do you stick with the guys who we feel have performed really well over the last 18 months and who are maybe just short of a few runs now? Or do we twist and bring in Sanju, who’s also a fantastic player and obviously helps tactically by having a right-hander at the top of the order? I’m sure that will be a talking point over the next few days going into these two very important games,” he remarked.
The thrashing at the hands of South Africa has put the defending champions under immense pressure, as they are now facing a must-win situation in the 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 dismal show against South Africa.
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’s Eden Gardens.
