Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has delivered a sharp critique of Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy following India’s dramatic three-wicket defeat to South Africa in the second T20I, which levelled the four-match series at 1-1.
India losses against SA, Ex-Pakistan player criticises Suryakumar
Despite Varun Chakravarthy’s masterful five-wicket haul (5/17), India failed to defend a modest total of 124/6, with South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs (47 not out) and Gerald Coetzee (19 not out) staging a remarkable comeback through their unbroken 42-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
Ali, analysing the match on his YouTube channel, particularly questioned Yadav’s decision to limit Axar Patel to just one over, despite the spinner conceding only two runs. “Axar Patel bowled one over, in which he gave away just two runs. Suryakumar Yadav didn’t ask him to bowl again. I was really surprised,” Ali remarked.
‘Bad Captaincy by Suryakumar’, says Basit Ali
The former Pakistan star highlighted a crucial tactical error: “Aisa lag raha tha India yeh match nahi harega (it seemed India won’t lose the match)… Bad captaincy by Suryakumar Yadav. He didn’t know that the South African batsmen were facing problems in playing the spinners, and he didn’t ask Axar to bowl. He bowled Avesh Khan who was hit for two fours.”
India vs South Africa
The match, which ended India’s impressive 11-match winning streak, saw several momentum shifts. South Africa struggled at 66/6 and later 86/7, before Stubbs and Coetzee’s match-winning partnership. Ali particularly criticized the decision to bring back Pandya at a crucial juncture, noting, “They won with just one over to spare. Axar should have been bowled when Surya brought Pandya back. He bowled three wide balls and the momentum shifted.”
The critique emphasized how Chakravarthy’s exceptional bowling performance was ultimately overshadowed by what Ali perceived as tactical missteps in the game’s crucial moments.
