The T20 World Cup 2026 marks the first ICC quadrennial tournament in years where India is competing without stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, things had been progressing smoothly until a crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa in their Super 8 clash in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The loss has left the defending champions in a precarious position. India now faces a must-win scenario and, even then, qualification for the semifinals is not guaranteed in a group featuring South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Chasing 188 against South Africa, India were bowled out for just 111.

Former India opener Virender Sehwag was critical of the team’s inability to finish chases, repeatedly referencing Virat Kohli’s record in high-pressure run pursuits.

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"India has won chasing 160 only when Virat Kohli made runs. Otherwise, India has never won chasing more than 160 in a World Cup. And in most cases, he used to stay in. Be it 80, 60, or 50 not out, Kohli used to finish the match. Which player finished the match yesterday? In this World Cup, which batsman has finished the match? Yesterday, many players had the opportunity to become Virat Kohli,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

He added that several players had the chance to step up. “Tilak Varma had a chance. Suryakumar Yadav had a chance. Shivam Dube had a chance. Hardik Pandya had a chance. Someone has to become Virat Kohli. Someone has to finish the match. Someone has to learn. We talk about strike rate, yes, it matters. But when you’re chasing, you can see the scoreboard and pace your innings accordingly. Then the strike rate doesn’t matter as much. The players have to take responsibility.”

Sehwag also felt that Suryakumar appeared to be under pressure during the chase. “It felt like Suryakumar was playing to survive rather than dominate. If you play like that, it becomes difficult to win. India will have to play fearless cricket.”

India’s path to the semifinals became even tougher after West Indies hammered Zimbabwe by 107 runs in their Super 8 fixture in Mumbai on Monday. With South Africa and West Indies registering victories, India must now not only win their remaining matches but also secure big margins to boost their Net Run Rate.