‘Glad, It’s Happened Early’: Shastri Bluntly Reacts to India's T20 WC Super 8 Loss to South Africa

Following India’s 76-run loss to South Africa in the T20 WC 2026 Super 8, Ravi Shastri called it a needed “shake-up,” saying the defeat lets India rethink strategies and suggested playing both Axar Patel and Washington Sundar to strengthen the team.

Former Team India captain and head coach Ravi Shastri gave his blunt assessment of the Men in Blue’s 76-run defeat to South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.

The Men in Blue’s heavy defeat at the hands of the Proteas ended their 12-match winning streak at the T20 World Cups, the run which began in the previous edition of the tournament. This was the Suryakumar Yadav-led side’s first defeat of the T20 World Cup 2026 after their unbeaten run in the group stage, marking a wake-up or the team.

Additionally, the 76-run defeat to South Africa was a big setback to Team India’s chances of qualifying for the semifinal, as their net run rate plummeted to -3.888, putting immense pressure on the Men in Blue to win their remaining Super 8 matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies convincingly.

‘The Shake-Up India Needed’

With Team India’s semifinal qualification hanging by a thread, former head coach Ravi Shastri stated that the defeat to South Africa in the Super 8 was a ‘shake-up’ the Men in Blue needed after being unbeaten in the group stage.

Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri stated that the defeat came early for Team India rather than later in the tournament, giving them a chance to identify their weakness, rethink strategies, and strengthen the side before facing Zimbabwe and West Indies in crucial Super 8 fixtures.

“I’m actually glad it’s happened early, especially against a team that’s tipped to make the semi-finals anyway. It might just be the shake-up India needed. It could also force them to rethink their strategy and the composition of the side going forward,” Shastri said.

“I’m sure they’ll bounce back. They would have learned from that experience and won’t take things for granted. In the Super 8, if you lose another game, you’re really putting yourself under serious pressure,” he added.

Team India defeated the USA, arch-rivals Pakistan, Namibia, and the Netherlands in the group stage of the tournament and finished unbeaten and entered the Super 8 stage as one of the favorites, only to face a wake-up call against a strong South Africa side.

Play Axar Patel and Washington Sundar

One of the surprising decisions taken by Team India management in the Super 8 defeat to South Africa was benching vice-captain Axar Patel for Washington Sundar. The decision completely backfired as Sundar was less impactful with the bat and ball. Sundar conceded 17 runs at an economy rate of 8.5 in his spell of two overs and scored 11 off 11 balls at a strike rate of 100.

Ravi Shastri suggested playing two spin all-rounders in Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, to have a backup for Varun Chakravarthy, who struggled against South Africa, adding that playing both gives flexibility and strengthens batting in the lower order.

“I think they’ve got to bring him back. You need that experience. I’d say play both if you can, give yourself that extra option, because on any given day, one bowler is bound to have an off day. For example, Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t at his best yesterday and paid the price for it. So you need that backup,” the former India head coach said.

“That strengthens your No. 8. If Axar Patel is playing, he could bat at eight. You’ve got Hardik Pandya at five, Shivam Dube at six, Washington Sundar at seven, and Axar at eight. Axar can even bat at five if required,” he added.

If Team India brings in two spin bowling all-rounders, Rinku Singh, who batted at No.8 in the Super 8 against South Africa, will likely miss out on the selection.

Meanwhile, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak already hinted at changes in the playing XI, including potentially bringing back Sanju Samson or dropping underperforming batters to strengthen the lineup for the upcoming Super 8 matches.