Former India cricketer questions Gautam Gambhir’s tactical calls amid India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 campaign

A former CSK player has raised concerns over Gautam Gambhir’s decision-making during India’s Super 8 fixtures in the T20 World Cup 2026, triggering debate around team strategy.

Gautam Gambhir (Image | BCCI on X)

India's former batter Subramaniam Badrinath has strongly criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir's playing XI selection amidst the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. In the previous encounter against South Africa, India dropped experienced all-rounder Axar Patel and decided to go with Washington Sundar. The move backfired and India lost the game by a huge margin.

While not all the blame is intended towards Sundar, it was the selection failure that has caused the outrage against the Indian management. Badrinath, in his YouTube channel, mentioned that selecting a player beyond his current form and stats is a job of a coach. Gambhir and Co. have failed to understand the players and their mindset, leading to frequent changes in the playing XI.

"Seeing things like a batter has failed x number of times in y number of games is fine. But looking beyond these is what the coach should do at the highest level. To figure out if a player is in form and fit, even if numbers are against him, is why you are appointed as a coach. If it's just numbers, even an analyst for Rs. 50,000 will do that job. You can just keep an analyst as a coach if everything is just based on numbers," said Subramaniam Badrinath on his YouTube channel.

Also read: Harry Brook’s ton powers England into T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals with win over Pakistan

What are India's current qualification scenarios?

India's current qualification scenarios are quite simple: win all the two matches and keep a check on the NRR. India's current NRR is -3.80 which is less than that of West Indies (+5.35) and South Africa (+3.80). To make a way into the knockouts, India will have to beat Zimbabwe by a huge margin, and then win their match against West Indies.

Infact, South Africa will also have to beat West Indies to make it simple for India. The Men in Blue will play against Zimbabwe on February 26 and against the Caribbean nation on March 1. The matches are quite crucial and has the potential to pave India's way towards the semi-finals.

Where to watch India vs Zimbabwe match?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs Zimbabwe match on February 26 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: India's star batter returns home due to emergency ahead of clash vs ZIM in T20 World Cup 2026

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