T20 World Cup 2026: 'Disappointed with his approach' - Sunil Gavaskar slams star batter after India's defeat to South Africa

Published - 23 Feb 2026, 13:00 IST | Updated - 23 Feb 2026, 13:25 IST

Tilak Varma has been quite scratchy with his performances with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup. While he got starts in every game that India played in the group stage, he did not look in control of proceedings. The Hyderabad batter was expected to fire on all cylinders against South Africa in the Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22, as he had a fantastic record against the Proteas in previous matches. However, Tilak could only manage one run before getting out to Marco Jansen.

Chasing a 188-run target, India lost the wicket of the in-form Ishan Kishan in the first over. Jansen was given the responsibility to bowl the second over, and he struck with his first ball, removing Tilak from the middle. The Indian batter ran down the pitch, made room, and tried to slap the ball over mid-off. However, the extra bounce on the surface went against him, and he got a thin edge through to South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar questioned Tilak's shot selection, adding that the required run rate was by no means alarming at that point. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that Tilak could have taken his time, especially with an out-of-form Abhishek Sharma batting alongside him.

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“Yes, I think he’s been a very street-smart batter. I was a little disappointed with his approach today because, look, a wicket had already fallen. Yes, the required rate was 9.5 runs an over, but it wasn’t like you were chasing 15 runs an over,” Gavaskar said while speaking on Star Sports.

“So you could have given yourself a little more time, particularly because at the other end, Abhishek Sharma hadn’t got runs. Therefore, the responsibility was yours to try and stick around with Abhishek and build a partnership, get past those six overs. With a wicket gone, you don’t have to get to 70. Even 55 would have been a good sort of platform," he added.