Failure to utilise resources was the reason behind India’s comprehensive defeat to South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026. That’s what former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad believes.
Iffy tactics & selections
Shehzad, who until a couple of days ago was Pakistan’s lone centurion in the T20 World Cup, thinks India got their selection and tactics wrong. Non-selection of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, along with stacking left-handers into the team, was one of the reasons why India lost by 76 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“They are playing too many left-handers together. When someone like Aiden Markram gets an early wicket, it adds even more pressure. The team resources are not being used properly – Gautam Gambhir is not managing them as well. You have a match-winner like Kuldeep Yadav, but he’s not being handled correctly,” Shehzad said on Pakistani show Haarna Mana Hai.
Why didn’t Kuldeep Yadav play?
The former opener believes that Kuldeep’s non-selection wasn’t just cricket-related. For some time now, India has picked Varun Chakaravarthy as the lone frontline spinner. But Kuldeep played against Pakistan and did well: 14/1 in 3 overs.
Shehzad believes Kuldeep wasn’t selected against South Africa because of his on-field tussle with captain Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. Now, this theory has been debunked already. Perhaps Shehzad doesn’t know the full extent of the story.
“There was an incident after the Pakistan game where Suryakumar Yadav pushed him (Kuldeep). People are now saying that perhaps Kuldeep was dropped because of a disciplinary issue or a problem with Suryakumar. Otherwise, he would not have been left out. Kuldeep brings variation and is a match-winner,” he added.
Is Gambhir bringing politics into the dressing room?
But Shehzad didn’t stop there. He believes India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir hasn’t left politics; he’s just brought it into the cricket ecosystem in India. The selections, or rather non-selections, prove that.
“When you enter any field, complete focus is needed. Gambhir entered politics, and obviously, his mindset changed. He was not very successful in politics, but it seems he has brought that same politics into the team environment. All this politics from Gambhir has damaged the image of the Indian team,” he added.
