India is preparing to face South Africa in a crucial Super 8 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Former India player Mohammad Kaif has shared his views on India’s batting lineup, suggesting that having too many left-handed batsmen could be a disadvantage. He believes including Sanju Samson could improve the team’s balance.
Kaif noted that the current top order includes several left-handers, which could help opposing teams develop effective strategies, especially using off-spinners against them.
In a social media post, Kaif pointed out the issue with the batting setup, mentioning that adding a right-handed player like Samson would enhance India’s chances.
“India has way too many left-handers in the top order. This makes it easy for opponents to make tactical plans and target them with off-spinners. Adding Sanju Samson could help,” Kaif wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
South Africa’s bowling attack is diverse, featuring fast bowlers like Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen, alongside spinners such as Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram. This variety complicates India’s batting choices. With Abhishek Sharma struggling against off-spinners in recent matches, it’s likely that South Africa will exploit Markram’s effective off-spin against left-handers.
India should include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI: Sanjay Manjrekar
Amid discussions about India’s batting order, commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has made an interesting suggestion.
He shared his thoughts on social media about India’s optimal playing XI against South Africa, advocating for Kuldeep Yadav to be included without specifying who should be left out.
“When there are concerns about batting, it can be improved by increasing batting depth. But why not strengthen the bowling? How about Kuldeep?” he wrote.
Kuldeep has played one match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 against Pakistan. Currently, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy are India’s preferred spinners ahead of Yadav.
