India is all set to take on South Africa in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Before this important match, Sanjay Manjrekar is worried about the slow batting of Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav so far in the tournament.
Sanjay Manjrekar expressed concern over Suryakumar Yadav’s slow batting.
Suryakumar Yadav made a brilliant start against USA, scoring 84 when India were struggling at 77 for 6. He played smart cricket, built his innings slowly before hitting the big shots and helped India win. But after this the Indian captain is batting very cautiously and the top order is not looking that strong.
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Manjrekar said that this cautious attitude can harm the team. When Suryakumar and Tilak Verma bat slowly, big hitters like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey and Rinku Singh get less chances to attack. This makes it difficult for India to score big, which is very important in T20 cricket.
Manjrekar says slow strike rate could hurt India
“There’s something I’m seeing in Suryakumar Yadav that I don’t like much. 77-6, India against USA at Wankhede, and Suryakumar Yadav had to change his game, which he did brilliantly. Just slowed down a bit, and then exploded, and got a great score, Player of the Match and everything,” Sanjay Manjrekar said in a video posted on Instagram.
He further added, “Since then, I think he has been taking it too far. Against Pakistan, where India lost a few wickets, he really dropped a lot of wickets. Both him and Tilak Verma are playing a bit conservatively, and in the end, what happens is that guys like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey and Rinku Singh are not really utilized that much of the resources.”
‘Dangerous strategy’: Sanjay Manjrekar warns Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar has scored 164 runs so far, which is second only to Ishan Kishan in the Indian team. But his strike rate is only 136.13, which is much slower than Kishan, who is hitting at a pace of over 202. Manjrekar has pointed out that a senior player or captain cannot slow down too much in T20.
Warning Suryakumar Yadav, Manjrekar said, “In T20 cricket, it is a dangerous thing to do, where a senior player or captain feels that they have to survive, especially when batting first. When you are setting a target of 200-plus, if you have someone in the top four who believes that he is the one who has to control the innings and ensure that he takes India to a certain score, that is a very dangerous strategy. Any batsman should Don’t think like this. So, Surya should be careful about this.
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Will Axar Patel replace Washington Sundar for South Africa match?
Meanwhile, India are expected to make one minor change to their playing XI for the Super 8 match against South Africa. Washington Sundar, who played the last game, is expected to be replaced by Akshar Patel. Actually, the team in Ahmedabad is likely to field a left-arm spin all-rounder.
Apart from this, Arshdeep Singh has also returned to the team. He missed the last match against Pakistan in Colombo, where the pitch was favorable for spin bowling. The left-arm fast bowler will retain his place and is expected to play against South Africa as India look to balance their bowling attack.