ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Abhishek Nayar And Irfan Pathan Dissect India’s Worsening Batting Woes Against Off-Spin

India are in a do-or-die situation now. The defending champions were humbled by South Africa in their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday (February 22, 2026).

The 76-run defeat not only dented their morale and net run rate, but has also opened up the proverbial Pandora's box. With a misfiring batting line-up, India are struggling to bat out even the allotted 20 overs.

The big cue: the tournament has just entered its decisive phase, and the World's top-ranked T20I team got dismissed for 111 runs in 18.5 overs while chasing South Africa's 187/7. Every win counts, so does every run scored. Only the two top teams from each Super 8 group will get to play the semi-finals.

In a long tournament, challenges are never the same, and teams continue to evolve. Ability/willingness to fix issues is the defining hallmark of any champion team. For India, though, batting woes continue to be multiplied. And there seems to be no solution in sight.

Consider this: India are known for outscoring their opponents -- a staple diet, sales pitch if we may, for official broadcasters and often hyping up a 300-run score to promote the tournament. Now, online memes, mocking the very idea, have taken over.

The biggest concern, of course, is the form of top-order batters. Except for Ishan Kishan, no one has truly managed to crack. With rivals adopting unusual tactics, including the current vogue that is off-spin, the think tank led by Gautam Gambhir is facing uncomfortable questions.

Abhishek Nayar Dissects Indian Openers Woes Against Off-Spin

"It's going to be a very uncomfortable discussion between Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma as to who takes the strike because suddenly he has passed the baton of the zeroes to Ishan Kishan, someone who was in prime form," said Abhishek Nayar.

Kishan was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first over by Proteas skipper Aiden Markram, a part-time off-spinner. Sharma, the other Indian opener, finally opened his World Cup account after three successive ducks, but he didn't last long, either, a 12-ball 15. Tilak Varma, the anointed No.3, is also fighting his own demons.

"This is a problem for India. There is definitely going to be a discussion about how they can overcome an off-spinner bowling to them because, keep in mind, when they take on the West Indies as well, Roston Chase is going to bowl in the powerplay to them," the former India assistant coach said while speaking on JioHotstar's 'Match Centre Live'.

Brought to the forefront by Pakistan when Salman Agha opened the attack, the off-spin factor has now become one of the biggest talking points. Sharma huffed and puffed while trying to break the shackles against the Pakistan captain, and eventually was caught at mid on. A four-ball duck in the first over itself, the second of the three zeroes the Punjab batter has got so far in his World Cup debut campaign.

"So they [India] will want to come back with better plans. With the newer ball, when you hit the seam at times as a finger spinner, you can get that extra bounce, and that’s the tricky part," Nayar explained the technicalities.

"If it’s slightly slower in the air, like we saw there [Ahmedabad], and the ball hits the seam and deviates even a bit, that’s enough in T20 cricket to get you out because it creates doubt and can earn you a wicket."

Irfan Pathan Backs Abhishek Sharma In Remaining Knockout Matches

Irfan Pathan echoed Nayar's assessment and elaborated on how the South African bowlers entered the high-profile clash with a well-devised plan to unsettle the Indian opener in question.

"It was a real struggle for Abhishek Sharma in this game. We've seen that he has gotten out to off-spinners twice in the last two matches. However, here the bowlers didn’t just stick to one pace or one line. If you look closely, no two consecutive deliveries were the same, and Abhishek Sharma didn’t seem to have an answer to that," Pathan said.

"Whenever a player adopts such an aggressive approach, teams always plan specifically against him. Nathan Ellis showed that when Abhishek toured Australia. He used all sorts of deliveries against him, back-of-the-hand slower ones, fuller balls, and mixed them well with bouncers.

"It almost felt like the South African bowlers took a leaf out of Ellis’ book and applied it on a grassy wicket in Ahmedabad, with pace, variations, disciplined lines, and constant changes to keep him unsettled."

The former India all-rounder, however, suggested backing the out-of-form batter as replacing a player now will create a bigger problem for the team.

"There will be a lot of talk about changes. The question will be whether you replace Abhishek Sharma. Will you bring in Sanju Samson in his place?" probed Pathan.

Many would consider Samson, in his current form, not an ideal fix to solve the opening problem. He managed 22 against Namibia in Delhi, while Sharma was left unwell with a stomach issue. Before that, the wicketkeeper-batter had a string of low scores.

"If I were part of that dressing room, I would still back Abhishek Sharma. The issue is that just two games are left, and you have to win both. If you drop a player now and bring in someone new, and that player doesn’t perform either, then you create a bigger problem."

India's immediate task is to beat fellow two-time champions West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday. But the Suryakumar Yadav-led team will first head to Chennai for a fixture against a fast-improving Zimbabwean side at the Chepauk.

Traditionally, pitches at both venues are spin-friendly.