Michael Vaughan, ex-England captain, launched a scathing attack on the Indian team management for deciding to pick Washington Sundar over Axar Patel in the important India vs. South Africa Super 8s game of the T20 World Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad on February 22.

The vice-captain of India, Axar, was kept out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game in Ahmedabad, his home field. He was rested during the previous occurrence, which occurred during the group-stage match against the Netherlands.

Nonetheless, it was generally anticipated that the all-round spin bowler would make a comeback for the pivotal Super 8 matchup with South Africa. Sundar was kept in the XI by India instead. Sundar bowled two overs for 17 runs as South Africa piled 187/7 in 20 overs. He made 11 runs at no. 5 as India was bowled out for 111 runs and lost the game by 76 runs.

When speaking with Cricbuzz, Vaughan did not mince words, criticizing the decision-making process and wanting to know who approved the move.

“There are so many in the backroom. There are so many analysts, there are so many scientists—too many brains—and sometimes the brains overcomplicate life. When you’ve been winning, playing well, and Axar has been doing great. I want to know the person who was around that board meeting and went, ‘I think we should play Washington Sundar,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.  

Meanwhile, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had defended the decision of choosing Sundar, calling it a tactical decision, as South Africa had Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, and David Miller as left-handers in their lineup.

“I don’t think it’s as straightforward as that. In our analysis, we felt the biggest threats were going to be Quinton, Rickelton, and Miller. When you can only pick one of the two options, we leaned towards someone who could bowl in the power play. Axar can bowl in the powerplay occasionally, of course. But we feel we’ve got Washington to a point where he’s found a way to be effective in that phase.

But the strategy was built around that initial assessment. In a tournament like this, you want—and expect—players to understand that every decision is made with the best intentions: to pick the strongest XI for that particular game. I hope Axar sees it in that spirit as well,” Doeschate stated.

India will now face Zimbabwe in Chennai on February 26 in their next Super 8s game, before facing West Indies in Kolkata on March 1.