NEW DELHI: India need to move away from excessive tactical tinkering and focus on fielding their strongest possible XI if they are to stay in contention at the T20 World Cup, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has said.
The warning follows India’s heavy 76-run loss to South Africa national cricket team in the Super 8 stage. Speaking ahead of the crucial fixture against Zimbabwe national cricket team in Chennai, Ponting offered a direct critique of the team’s selection approach.
“Listening to the commentary, the reason Axar didn’t play is because of the left-handers in the opposition side. But there’s still some right-handers there. It just comes down to the art of the captain of being able to use Axar at the right time,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
India’s call to leave out Axar Patel drew significant attention, particularly given expectations that spin would be influential on Indian pitches. Ponting underlined that overall balance should outweigh match-up-based decisions.
“I would be going back to the basics. I’d be just looking at their lineup. Who’s our best XI for the conditions in Chennai?” he said.
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The former Australia skipper also advocated for the return of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, pointing to his versatility against both left- and right-handed batters.
“If it has Kuldeep Yadav in it, that’s the other one that I’d be thinking about bringing back because it doesn’t matter with him if it’s left-hand or right-hand. He can bowl wrong ones and spin the ball away from the outside edge.”
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared a similar stance, emphasising the need for experience and additional bowling options at this stage of the tournament.
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“They have to bring him back. You need that experience,” Shastri said of Axar. “What you’re missing out on is that you’re not giving yourself that extra option of a bowler, which I think is important.”
With a place in the semi-finals now uncertain, India’s equation is straightforward — settle on their strongest XI and produce an immediate response.
