T20 World Cup 2026: Who Can Help India Qualify For Semi-Finals? Ravi Shastri, Ricky Ponting Point To One Name

India’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign hit a major roadblock after the Suryakumar Yadav-led side suffered a crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa in their opening Super Eight clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, 22 February.

The heavy loss has complicated India’s road to semi-finals, snapping their 12-match winning streak across the last two editions of the T20 World Cup and leaving the defending champions with very little room for error in the remainder of the Super Eight stage.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes the defeat, while damaging, could serve as a timely jolt ahead of the tournament’s decisive phase.

“You win 12 matches on the trot, there's bound to be an off day. And I'm glad it has come early. It might just be the shakeup India needed,” Shastri said on the latest episode of The ICC Review.

“It might also make them rethink their strategy as to the composition of the side going ahead.

“They would have learned from that last experience that they're not going to take things for granted because in this Super Eight if you lose one more (match), then you're really putting yourself under serious pressure.”

India had made a promising start to the rematch of the 2024 World Cup final, reducing South Africa to 20/3 inside the powerplay. However, David Miller and Dewald Brevis wrested back control with a counter-attacking stand, guiding the Proteas to a competitive 187/7.

On a challenging surface in Ahmedabad, India’s usually reliable batting unit struggled to keep pace against a disciplined bowling attack that used the conditions smartly. The chase unravelled rapidly, with India collapsing to 111 all out in 18.5 overs.

Team selection came under scrutiny after the defeat, particularly the decision to pick Washington Sundar ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel.

The call failed to deliver, with Shastri emphasising that India must now prioritise experience and bolster their bowling depth, especially on spin-friendly Indian pitches.

“I think they have to bring him (Axar Patel) back. You need that experience,” Shastri said.

“I would say play both (Patel and Sundar). Give yourself that extra option. Because on a given day, you're bound to have one bowler who's going to have an off day. Like for example, Varun Chakravarthy on Sunday. He was not at his best and he paid the price for it.

“If Axar Patel is playing, he might be batting at No.8. You have got Hardik Pandya at No.5, you've got Shivam Dube at No.6, you've got Washington Sundar at No.7. Axar can go at No.5 as well.

“Now, if eight batters can't do the job in T20 cricket, then something's wrong, especially with that kind of firepower. Where you're missing out is you're not giving yourself that extra option of a bowler, which I think is important. Rinku Singh might have to miss out. But if he has to come in, he has to come in place of a specialist batter.”

Ricky Ponting Urges India To Back Best XI

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting echoed similar views, urging India to move away from rigid match-up-based selections and instead back their strongest combination.

“Listening to the commentary, the reason Axar didn’t play (against South Africa) is because of the left handers in the opposition side. But there's still some right handers there. It just comes down to the art of the captain of being able to use Axar at the right time,” Ponting said.

With India set to face Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday before concluding the Super Eight stage against the West Indies in Kolkata, Ponting believes conditions should dictate selection decisions.

“I would be going back to the basics. I'd be just looking at their lineup. Who's our best XI for the conditions in Chennai?” he added.

“If that has Axar Patel in it, great. If it has Kuldeep Yadav in it, that's the other one that I'd be thinking about bringing back because it doesn't matter with him if it's left-hand or right-hand. He can bowl wrong ones and spin the ball away from the left-hand outside edge of both those batters.”

With qualification now hanging in the balance, India must regroup quickly, refine their combination, and deliver under pressure if they are to keep their title defence alive in the T20 World Cup 2026.