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India battle for T20 World Cup survival after ‘messing up on grand scale’

Published

2 days ago

February 23, 2026

Defending T20 World Cup champions India need “two big performances” to reach the semi-finals after Sunday’s huge defeat to South Africa, said their assistant coach.

India came into the T20 World Cup as hot favourites on home soil but were thrashed by 76 runs in the Super Eights as 80,000 fans at the massive Narendra Modi stadium were stunned into silence.

In their first chase of the tournament, India’s batting came up woefully short in the face of some disciplined South Africa bowling.

India collapsed to 111 all out in 18.5 overs in response to South Africa’s 187-7 as their 12-match win streak in the T20 World Cup came to a crashing end.

The magnitude of the defeat has left India with a desperate net run-rate of -3.8 and likely needing to win their last two Super Eight matches convincingly to make it to the semi-finals.

Anything less and India will need to rely on a combination of other results going their way.

“Very disappointed in the performance,” said Ryan ten Doeschate.

“When you set out to win a World Cup, don’t expect someone to come and deliver it to you halfway through,” the assistant coach added.

“We’ve messed up on a grand scale and now the onus is on this group of guys to turn it around and put in two solid performances.”

India are grouped with South Africa, the West Indies and Zimbabwe in Super Eights, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.

India next face giant-killers Zimbabwe, who have already beaten Australia and Sri Lanka, on Thursday in Chennai.

South Africa play the West Indies the same day in Ahmedabad where Aiden Markram’s side could put one foot firmly in the semi-finals with another win.

‘Cloak came off’

“Obviously, with the way the group goes, you need at least four points to get through now, and it’s going to need two big performances and a big bounce back from everyone,” said Ten Doeschate.

India’s fragile batting was exposed against an in-form bowling attack led by left-arm quick Marco Jansen, who returned figures of 4-22 from 3.5 overs.

Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 with his left-arm spin.

India’s media tore into the team on Monday morning.

“The night the cloak came off,” blazed a headline in The Indian Express newspaper.

“Sloppy India reach point of no return,” said the Hindustan Times.

India’s ultra-aggressive left-handed opening pair have failed to fire, leaving a shaky middle order to pick up the pieces.

Ishan Kishan was out without scoring to Markram on Sunday, while the world’s top- ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma fell to Jansen for 15, his only runs of the tournament so far after three ducks.

“It’s certainly not panic stations,” said Ten Doeschate, who hinted there could be discussions about India’s batting line-up.

“If those guys (Ahbishek and Ishan) bat for six overs, the score is going to be 70-plus,” said Ten Doeschate.

“So can we get them to temper the way they’re playing and be a little bit smarter?

“Or do we just let them go on the way they are?

“Or do we bring in a right-hander at the top and make a change somewhere in the middle?”

Captain Suryakumar Yadav agreed India need to use their brains in the first six-over power play when only two fielders are allowed on the boundary.

“Chasing 180-185, you can’t win the game in the power play, but you might lose it,” he said after his side stumbled to 31-3 after six overs, which became 43-4 a few balls later and then 51-5.

“We lost too many wickets in the power play.”

The 2024 champions also have the weight of history against them. No team has ever retained the T20 World Cup and no side have ever won the trophy on home soil.

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‘Our fate is not in our hands’: Shaheen on T20 World Cup semi-final prospects following defeat by England – Sport

Published

9 hours ago

February 25, 2026

hussainbinnoman3@gmail.com

After England beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup Super Eight clash by two wickets on Tuesday, Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledged that his side’s fate was not in its hands anymore.

Pakistan have only one point from two Super Eight matches so now must win their final game and rely on other results going their way to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals.

“We know our fate is not in our hands,” he admitted, “But we need to beat Sri Lanka in our last match on Saturday and then hope other results go our way.”

“It’s not ideal, but it’s like this,” Shaheen said during a press conference after the match.

He also hailed Harry Brook’s century in the match against England as a “world-class knock”.

Brook reached his maiden T20 International hundred off 50 balls, with four sixes and 10 fours, as England went past their 165-run target with five balls to spare to win by two wickets.

Afridi jolted the England top order with a burst of three wickets before Brook played the ultimate captain’s innings to steer his side home.

“In my opinion this will be the best innings of his life,” Afridi told reporters. “It wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on but he took the game away from us.”

Promoted to number three after a morning conversation with England coach Brendon McCullum, Brook walked in after Afridi dismissed Phil Salt off the first ball of the innings.

Afridi then removed Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell to leave England wobbling at 35-3 in the power play.

Brook stood firm, adding 45 for the fifth wicket with Sam Curran and 52 with Will Jacks for the sixth.

His century was the second fastest in T20 World Cup history, and the first ever by a team’s captain.

Only West Indies great Chris Gayle, against England in the 2016 T20 World Cup, reached three figures quicker. He took just 47 balls.

Afridi was clobbered for a six and a four as Brook raced through the “nervous nineties” in two balls, going from 90 to 100 before raising his bat.

The tall paceman bowled Brook with a yorker next ball, but did not celebrate wildly – instead he immediately went to congratulate the England captain in a superb show of cricket sportmanship.

“Brook played proper cricketing shots and he desreved a handshake, so I went to him and shook his hand in appreciation,” said Afridi.

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‘Our fate is not in our hands,’ says Shaheen Shah Afridi after Pakistan’s loss to England – Sport

Published

9 hours ago

February 25, 2026

hussainbinnoman3@gmail.com

After England beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup Super Eight clash by two wickets on Tuesday, Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledged that his side’s fate was not in its hands.

Pakistan have only one point from two Super Eight matches so now must win their final game and rely on other results going their way to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals.

“We know our fate is not in our hands,” he admitted, “But we need to beat Sri Lanka in our last match on Saturday and then hope other results go our way.