Abhishek Sharma will be out!! Pakistan star campaign for T20I selection of Samson, Gill, Iyer and Jaiswal: India’s national cricket team suffered their first defeat after 17 matches as they suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa in their first Super 8 game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. It is important for India to win the next two matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies. The Men in Blue’s batting collapsed in the face of a quality bowling attack.
Ahead of India’s next match against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on 26 February, former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad gave his comments on the batting performance of Suryakumar Yadav’s team in a talk show called Hasna Mann Hai and also discussed the qualification scenario of the defending champions for the semi-finals.
‘Gautam Gambhir’s plans are not working’- Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad said, “The bowling attack is not complete. They do not have Kuldeep, who is their main wicket-taker. Jasprit Bumrah kept the runs in check till the end. Otherwise the team would have been around 220 runs and Gautam Gambhir’s plans are not working. I think they need to rethink their strategies.”
Here is the video
Ahmed Shehzad said, “India should praise Jasprit Bumrah, he saved them with the bowling. It was all bad gameplay today, mostly poor decisions from Gautam Gambhir. If this continues, I am telling you, India will not even be able to reach the semi-finals.”pic.twitter.com/Aj2wX62DxI
-Salman. (@TsMeSalman) 22 February 2026
“India is a strong team and one of the favorites for the World Cup. But if they continue to play with this combination and approach, they may struggle to qualify. When a batsman is not in form, he starts forcing his shots.”
‘He needs to take some time’- Ahmed Shehzad on Abhishek Sharma
Apart from this, Ahmed Shehzad talked about the form of Abhishek Sharma, and he attacked him saying that he cannot strike on every ball because it is international cricket, and after failing in many innings, he will definitely be under pressure, considering India has talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
Shehzad said, “I like Abhishek Sharma a lot. As Aamir said, he needs to spend some time at the crease. Don’t pre-empt the shot before the ball is bowled. This is international cricket, you can’t decide in advance where you are going to hit. Look at the ball, be balanced in your position and then play your stroke.”
There are many talents in India
“It’s okay to attack, that can be your role but at least assess the delivery first. This is not casual cricket where you can hit the ball wherever you want. If players keep getting out playing careless shots, they will only put pressure on themselves.”
“There are many talented youngsters coming up, and such players entertain the audience. But if they continue like this, there will be a lot of pressure on the country. There are passionate cricket lovers in India.”
‘There is a lot of pressure in the World Cup’- Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad concluded, “This is why players like Shubman Gill have faced setbacks, Shreyas Iyer is out of the team, Sanju Samson is not playing and Yashasvi Jaiswal has not been given consistent chances. The pressure is very high in the World Cup and performance ultimately decides the selection. Whatever Mohammad Amir has said about this situation is not completely wrong.”
India need to find out the reason for their collapse, and hope to bounce back in the next match and qualify for the last four. There may be some changes in Suryakumar Yadav’s team in the next Super 8 game.
Also read: Suryakumar Yadav literally buried Rohit Sharma’s ICC legacy