'They came out with overconfidence...': Sunil Gavaskar on India’s T20 WC defeat vs South Africa
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'They came out with overconfidence...': Sunil Gavaskar on India’s T20 WC defeat vs South Africa")
South Africa's Dewald Brevis celebrates with teammate Tristan Stubbs Photograph: (AFP)
The defeat against the Proteas has made India’s path to the semi-finals more difficult. They now need to win their remaining two matches with a strong net run rate to stay in the race to defend their title.
Cricket great Sunil Gavaskar criticised India’s batting after their T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 loss to South Africa on Sunday (Feb 22) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He said the team did not adjust to the pitch conditions, even though South Africa had already shown how to bat on it. Gavaskar praised Dewald Brevis and David Miller for rebuilding South Africa’s innings after early wickets. He noted that both batters played straight shots and handled short balls smartly. They understood that the ball was not coming onto the bat quickly and changed their game accordingly. Gavaskar felt the Indian batters should have followed the same method.
"When you look at how Dewald Brevis and David Miller repaired the South African innings, they played shots more in the V. When the bouncers were bowled, they countered them intelligently because they realised that the ball was not coming onto the bat quickly. Having seen how Brevis and Miller built their partnership, that was the approach needed from the Indian batters," Gavaskar said on JioStar.
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Gavaskar further added that India batters tried to hit almost every ball for boundaries without reading the situation. Gavaskar explained that T20 cricket is not only about big hitting but also about understanding the conditions and playing wisely. He added that India seemed overconfident and lost wickets because they did not learn from South Africa’s approach.
"But India did not take notes from South Africa's innings. They came out and threw their bat at every delivery, hoping for a boundary. That is not how you play T20 cricket. You have to learn from the opposition. If they have scored well on a tricky surface like this, you have to get rid of your ego, observe and adjust. The Indian batters did not do that. They came out with overconfidence, threw their bat at everything and lost wickets. South Africa clearly outsmarted India, and it was a well-deserved win for them," he added.
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The 76-run defeat against the Proteas has made India’s path to the semi-finals more difficult. They now need to win their remaining two matches with a strong net run rate to stay in the race to defend their title.
