India vs South Africa T20Is: India's defeat against South Africa in the second T20I has led to massive criticism of players as well as the head coach Gautam Gambhir. South Africa defeated India by 51 runs in Mullanpur to make it 1-1 in the five-match T20I series on Thursday.
After the defeat, a clip from inside the Indian dressing room began doing the rounds on social media, showing Gambhir in an animated conversation with star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the former vice-captain of the Indian T20I team. India were bowled out for 162 runs in 19.1 overs while chasing the 213-run target. Pandya’s 20 off 23 balls came at a stage when the team expected him to accelerate.
Notably, Pandya was the match-winner for India in the series opener in Cuttack. His fiery knock of 59 runs in 28 balls earned him the Player of the Match award as India registered a monumental victory by 101 runs. A few of the decisions, including the strategy to send Axar Patel at no.3, have been under the scanner and didn't go down well among the experts as well as fans. The batting form of senior players like Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill has also been a major headache for the Men in Blue as they continue to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026.
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Gambhir was seen very animated in the dugout during the second T20I as India had a disappointing outing in all departments. Arshdeep Singh went wicketless and gave away 54 runs in his four overs, whereas senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah was also hit for 45 runs. After the game, Gambhir's intense handshake with the players also caught the attention of the fans. While India have witnessed huge struggles in Test cricket under Gambhir's coaching, things were going smoothly in the white-ball cricket as the team won the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup titles this year.
The criticism got amplified once India suffered a 0-2 whitewash defeat in the Test series against the Proteas, but the hosts bounced back with a victory in the ODI series. The third match of the ongoing T20I series is scheduled to be played in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Former India batter Robin Uthappa added more to the criticism, saying that he completely disagrees with India’s current approach of a flexible batting order.
"Well, honestly, that’s not how I see it. I’m only going by his (Suryakumar’s) words. In the pre-series press conference, he said the opening pair is set, but everyone else is moving pieces who must be flexible. With all due respect, I disagree," Uthappa said on JioHotstar.
"When you’re chasing a big score, your solid batters – your best batters – should walk in. If you send a pinch-hitter, then he must play like one. If Axar was sent as a pinch-hitter today, he shouldn’t have scored 21 off 21; he should’ve gone hard and gotten out trying. But even that plan doesn’t convince me. After losing a top batter in the first or second over, you need stability at the crease. Something feels off here, and India must fix it before it becomes a habit," he added.