India lost badly by 76 runs to South Africa in the Super 8s match of T20 World Cup 2026 at Ahmedabad on Sunday. Their good run in ICC events stopped suddenly. The big talking point was benching vice-captain Axar Patel and playing Washington Sundar instead.
Many fans and experts said it was a wrong choice. After the match, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke to the media and explained the decision.
He said the team thought a lot about the playing XI for two days. They wanted to stop South Africa’s left-hand batters like Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and David Miller. They felt Washington could bowl better in the powerplay against left-handers.
The plan was to have one more batsman (Rinku Singh as eighth batter) and use Washington for early overs. But South Africa lost 3 wickets very early, so the plan changed and Washington did not bowl in powerplay.
Washington had a bad day. He bowled only 2 overs and gave 17 runs. He could not trouble Miller or Brevis. With bat he scored just 11 runs at number 5, even before Hardik, Rinku and Dube.
Ten Doeschate said dropping Axar Patel was not easy because he is vice-captain and very important. But they had to choose between Axar and Washington for that one spot. He said Axar is a big match-winner and everyone in the team knows it. He hopes Axar understands the team picked what they thought was best to win.
He also said people should not compare Washington’s IPL games with international cricket. They judged him on his India performances.
In my view, benching Axar Patel was a gamble that exposed India’s over-reliance on match-up theories in crunch games. While ten Doeschate’s explanations make sense on paper – prioritizing powerplay options and batting depth – the execution fell flat, especially with Sundar’s underwhelming show.
Axar isn’t just a bowler; his vice-captaincy brings calm and versatility that’s invaluable in World Cups. This defeat could be a wake-up call for the team to balance analytics with instinct, ensuring stars like Axar aren’t sidelined lightly.
Looking ahead, India must nail their XI for the remaining Super 8s to bounce back, or risk an early exit from their title defense. It’s a reminder that in cricket, the human element – like player morale – often trumps tactics
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