New Delhi, February 23 – Following India's 76-run defeat to South Africa in their Super Eights clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar assessed the team's batting collapse and the challenges that lie ahead, stating that Abhishek Sharma has "passed the baton of zeros" to in-form Ishan Kishan.
India were bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs after South Africa posted 187/7, with Marco Jansen taking 4-22 and Keshav Maharaj claiming 3-24. Despite a fighting 42 from Shivam Dube, the chase never gained momentum, with early dismissals of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma compounding India's struggles.
Nayar noted the unusual predicament for India's top order and criticised the Indian openers' performance against the Proteas. "It's going to be a very uncomfortable discussion between Ishan Kishan and Abhishek as to who takes the strike because suddenly he has passed the baton of the zeros to Ishan Kishan, someone who was in prime form. But this is a problem for India," Nayar told JioStar.
He highlighted the technical challenge posed by off-spin and the importance of strategising for upcoming matches.
"There is definitely going to be a discussion about how they can overcome an off-spinner bowling to them because, keep in mind, when they take on the West Indies as well, Roston Chase is going to bowl in the powerplay to them. So they will want to come back with better plans," Nayar said.
With the newer ball, when you hit the seam at times as a finger spinner, you can get that extra bounce, and that’s the tricky part. If it’s slightly slower in the air, like we saw there, and the ball hits the seam and deviates even a bit, that’s enough in T20 cricket to get you out because it creates doubt and can earn you a wicket," Nayar added.
Nayar's observations underline India's need to adapt quickly against quality spin if they hope to recover in the Super Eights stage and keep their semi-final hopes alive.