India suffered a crushing 76-run defeat against South Africa in their Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 22).

After the disappointing result, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif slammed India skipper Suryakumar Yadav for leaving out his deputy Axar Patel from the playing XI.

The team management opted to go with Washington Sundar instead. Speaking at the toss, Surya described the inclusion of Sundar as a tactical call while batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said it was aimed to counter the Proteas left-handers.

However, Kaif believes snubbing Axar because of match-up considerations was flawed thinking.

“All great captains like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma aimed to form one playing XI that covered all the bases. It wasn’t like our left-arm spinner won’t play because there are many lefties in the opposition team. This shows that you are lacking in preparation. Who were the off-spinners in our team when we won the T20 World Cup in 2024? There was no Washington Sundar or R Ashwin," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

He highlighted Axar’s impressive record in ICC event, particularly in knockout fixtures, before pointing out that South Africa’s left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj went on to pick three wickets in the match.

“Axar was the Player of the Match against England in the semifinal. He dismissed Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, and Moeen Ali. Moeen Ali was a lefty. How did he get out to him then? Sir, aise nahi hota (this is not done). Keshav Maharaj took wickets. When you play someone and give him confidence by backing him, he can do anything," Kaif stated.

“Axar Patel is a proven match-winner in ICC events. According to me, he should have been the Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup 2024 final for his cameo. Virat Kohli’s strike rate was 128, and Axar Patel’s strike rate was 150. He hit four sixes in that match. You have won the semifinal and final because of him, but you brushed him aside," he added.

“Make him play so that he improves against left-handers. He can surely do it. I was surprised by the last-minute call. It showed that we were in panic. They were normal despite losing the final against us, but we were panicking and making changes," he further 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 encounters 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 in Ahmedabad.

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.