Sunil Gavaskar slams India's reckless batting approach after Proteas defeat

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar criticised India’s approach with the bat after their 76-run defeat to South Africa in the T20 World Cup, saying the defending champions failed to read the conditions and paid the price for an over-aggressive mindset.

South Africa ended India’s 12-match unbeaten run in the tournament with a commanding win, built around a composed partnership between Dewald Brevis and David Miller. Gavaskar said that stand should have served as a template for India’s chase.

He said the Indian batters did not take cues from how Brevis and Miller assessed the surface before accelerating. Instead, they played with overconfidence, going hard at deliveries from the outset and losing wickets in clusters. According to Gavaskar, South Africa outthought India and were deserving winners on the night.

After slipping to early trouble, Miller and Brevis added 97 runs to lift South Africa to 187/7. India, in reply, were bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs in what Gavaskar described as a below-par and poorly constructed innings.

He said T20 cricket still demands awareness of match situations and surface conditions. Rather than attempting to clear the boundary at every opportunity, batters must observe how the pitch is behaving and adjust accordingly. On a tricky wicket, he argued, ego has to be set aside in favour of smarter cricket. 

India’s chase unravelled inside the Powerplay as Ishan Kishan (0), Abhishek Sharma (15) and Tilak Varma (1) fell with only 26 on the board. Gavaskar expressed particular disappointment at the lack of game awareness, noting that the required rate was manageable and did not warrant high-risk strokes so early in the innings.

He said Tilak, usually regarded as a street-smart batter, needed to take responsibility after the early setbacks, especially with Abhishek struggling for form. Instead of trying to dominate immediately, India could have aimed for a steady 55–60 in the first six overs to build a platform. The reckless approach, he said, led directly to their downfall in Ahmedabad.

Looking ahead to India’s next match against Zimbabwe, Gavaskar suggested changes to the playing 11. He backed the return of Axar Patel, who has missed the last two games, particularly given Zimbabwe’s relative lack of left-handers.

However, he acknowledged that Arshdeep Singh bowled well against South Africa and may be difficult to drop. Gavaskar felt Washington Sundar is the more likely omission, arguing that he has not been used effectively and has failed to make an impact with either bat or ball in recent outings.

In Gavaskar’s view, India must combine better selection calls with improved on-field awareness if they are to recover from the setback and regain momentum in the tournament.