Sanjay Manjrekar accuses Suryakumar Yadav of 'taking things a bit too far' amid T20 World Cup 2026

India is all set to face South Africa in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ahead of this crucial game, Sanjay Manjrekar is worried about India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s slow batting in the tournament so far.

Sanjay Manjrekar raises alarm over Suryakumar Yadav’s slow batting

Suryakumar Yadav had a brilliant start against the USA, scoring 84 runs when India was struggling at 77 for 6. He played smart cricket, slowly building his innings before hitting big shots and helping India win. But after that, the Indian skipper has been batting too carefully, and the top order has not looked as strong.

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Manjrekar pointed out that this cautious approach can hurt the team. When Suryakumar and Tilak Varma bat slowly, the big hitters like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh get fewer chances to attack. This makes it harder for India to score big totals, which is very important in T20 cricket.

Manjrekar says slow strike rate can hurt India

Sanjay Manjrekar said in a video posted on Instagram, "There is something that I am seeing in Suryakumar Yadav which I’m not liking too much. 77-6, India against the USA, at the Wankhede, and Suryakumar Yadav had to change his game, which he did brilliantly. Just slowed down a little bit, and then exploded, and got a great score, player of the match, and everything.”

He further added, “Since then, I think he is taking that a bit too far. Against Pakistan, where India lost a couple of wickets, he really pulled down the shutters quite a lot. He and Tilak Varma are both playing slightly conservatively, and in the end, what happens is that people like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh are not really tapped into resources as much.”

‘Dangerous Tactic’: Sanjay Manjrekar warns Suryakumar Yadav

So far, Suryakumar has scored 164 runs, second only to Ishan Kishan in the Indian team. But his strike rate is only 136.13, much slower than Kishan, who is hitting at over 202. Manjrekar has pointed out that a senior player or captain cannot slow down too much in T20s.

Warning Suryakumar Yadav, Manjrekar said, "In T20 cricket, that is a dangerous thing to do, where a senior player or captain feels like he has got to stay in, especially while batting first. When you are setting targets of 200 plus, if you have somebody in the top four who believes that he is the guy who has got to control the innings and make sure he is the one who will take India to a certain score, that is a very dangerous tactic. No batter must think like that. So, Surya must be careful about that.”

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A post shared by Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaysphotos)

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Axar Patel set to replace Washington Sundar for South Africa clash?

Meanwhile, India is expected to make a small change in their playing XI for the Super 8 match against South Africa. Washington Sundar, who played in the last game, is expected to be replaced by Axar Patel. Actually, the team is likely to be going with the left-arm spin all-rounder in Ahmedabad.

Apart from that, Arshdeep Singh is back in the side. He had missed the previous game against Pakistan in Colombo, where the pitch favoured spin bowling. The left-arm pacer will keep his place and is expected to play against South Africa as India looks to balance their bowling attack.