'Abhishek Sharma has passed the baton of 'zeroes' to in-form Ishan Kishan'
Times of India
by TOI SPORTS DESKFebruary 23, 2026
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India suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eights clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Chasing 188 after South Africa posted 187/7, India collapsed spectacularly, being bowled out for 111 in just 18.5 overs. Key Indian batters, including Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, fell cheaply, while opener Shivam Dube’s lone fight couldn’t salvage the innings.
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar highlighted the batting collapse, pointing out that Sharma had effectively “passed the baton of zeroes” to the in-form Kishan. This sudden shift in responsibility left India’s top order reeling and unable to recover from early blows. Nayar emphasized the technical challenges posed by South Africa’s quality spinners, particularly Marco Jansen (4/22) and Keshav Maharaj (3/24), which exposed weaknesses in India’s approach.
Nayar stressed the need for better planning against off-spin bowlers, especially ahead of upcoming matches against teams like the West Indies, where Roston Chase is expected to bowl in the powerplay. He noted that spinners can exploit seam variations and slower air deliveries to extract wickets in T20 cricket, making it crucial for India to adapt their strategies.
India’s inability to handle quality spin bowling has cast doubts over their semi-final hopes. With their batting line-up struggling to rebuild after early collapses, the team
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Originally published on Times of India on 2/23/2026