‘India needed this shake-up’: Shastri blunt after South Africa mauling; tells Gambhir to make tough Axar-Sundar call

Ravi Shastri also weighed in on the debate over Washington Sundar being picked ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri minced no words in his assessment of India’s Super 8 loss to South Africa, a 76-run defeat in Ahmedabad last Sunday, their heaviest-ever in T20 World Cup history. Shastri reckoned the defending champions needed that jolt, with their semifinal hopes still alive.

Ravi Shastri has his say on India's 76-run loss vs South Africa (AFP)

Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri said it was better that India suffered the setback early in the campaign rather than later, leaving them time to reassess their plans for the remaining two Super 8 matches, against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday and West Indies in Kolkata on March 1.

“I’m actually glad it’s happened early, especially against a team that’s tipped to make the semi-finals anyway. It might just be the shake-up India needed. It could also force them to rethink their strategy and the composition of the side going forward. I’m sure they’ll bounce back. They would have learned from that experience and won’t take things for granted. In the Super 8, if you lose another game, you’re really putting yourself under serious pressure,” he said.

Shastri also weighed in on the debate over Washington Sundar being picked ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel for the match against South Africa. While India termed it a tactical call, with Axar expected to return against Zimbabwe, who have five right-handers in their top seven, Shastri said the management could even field both spin all-rounders. He argued that doing so would preserve batting depth while providing an extra bowling option.

“I think they’ve got to bring him back. You need that experience. I’d say play both if you can, give yourself that extra option, because on any given day one bowler is bound to have an off day. For example, Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t at his best yesterday and paid the price for it. So you need that backup.

“That strengthens your No. 8. If Axar Patel is playing, he could bat at eight. You’ve got Hardik Pandya at five, Shivam Dube at six, Washington Sundar at seven and Axar at eight. Axar can even bat at five if required,” he said.

Should Sundar and Axar both play, Shastri said it would mean head coach Gautam Gambhir would have to make the tough call of leaving out specialist finisher Rinku Singh from the line-up.

“If eight batters can’t get the job done in T20 cricket, then something’s wrong, especially with that kind of firepower. Where you’re falling short is not giving yourself that extra bowling option, which I think is important. That might mean Rinku Singh misses out, but if he comes in, it should be in place of a specialist batter.”