ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Without plan B, India' game unravels

Ahmedabad: The unanimous opinion amongst most pundits and even the opposition teams was that India were the team to beat in the ICC T20 World Cup. The marquee event was happening in familiar home conditions, the batting line-up arrived in blazing form and the bowling attack had all the bases covered. But in a span of fortnight, the defending champions have unravelled in stunning manner and they now stand on the precipice of a massive disaster that few could have foreseen.

It’s a no-brainer that the primary reason behind India’s stuttering run, which got a severe jolt following the 76-run defeat against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, is the collective batting failure. Another top-order implosion that saw India lose three wickets in the Power Play and the inability of the middle-order to script a recovery, something which David Miller and Dewald Brevis did brilliantly for South Africa through a 97-run fourth-wicket stand, cooked the hosts’ goose.

In fact, that has been one of India’s biggest problems this World Cup. India have lost one of the openers for a duck in four out of the five games, with Abhishek Sharma collecting three and Ishan Kishan bagging one. A key factor in India’s domineering run over the last 20 months has been the smashing starts Abhishek, the No. 1 T20 batter in the world, has consistently provided. 

Teams have made it open that they’ve come better prepared to deal with the dashing gun-slinger, saying a larger part of their planning has gone into trying to get him out. And they’ve done that exceptionally. So accustomed to bullying the bowlers on batting paradises, he’s now the one under pressure on challenging surfaces, and he looks all at sea wondering how to cope with it. Does he hit himself out of trouble in typically aggressive fashion or bide his time and then open fire? The helplessness is clearly visible on the 25-year-old’s face with every passing failure.

India have also been unable to dominate the Power Play, either losing wickets in a clutch like against the US and South Africa or unable to force the pace — an occurrence in all matches so far. Teams have studied that the Indian batting line-up that’s loaded with left-handers has a problem against spin, and the likes of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav have struggled to take them on. Spinners have constantly tried to take the ball away from left-handers like Kishan, Varma and Shivam Dube, and the trio has not been able to decode the riddle.

Skipper Suryakumar, the only specialist right-handed batter in the line-up, too has come up short in dealing with spinners. The big shots that he so effortlessly employs against pacers by moving around the crease are conspicuous by their absence versus the spinners.

India have only themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in. In the two bilateral series versus South Africa and New Zealand at home, the batters were mostly given shirtfronts, and they made a mockery of it. But at the World Cup, the pitches have been tacky, and they’ve found it hard to deal with. Ideally, they should have played on a variety of surfaces that would have prepared them better for such challenges, and the failure to do so is hurting them. Plus, opposition bowlers have done their homework, and on surfaces that are offering them some assistance, they’ve been able to tie the Indian batters down successfully.

India are now faced with a Catch-22 situation. The template on the road to the World Cup was to play fearless cricket no matter what. Now wickets are falling in a cluster at the start itself. The pitches are challenging. Do they continue with the same blueprint or adapt smartly? It’s this dilemma they need to find a way to wriggle out of. 

India's Shivam Dube plays a shot during an ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and South Africa, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad.