Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has cautioned India head coach Gautam Gambhir against overcomplicating selection decisions as India prepare for a must-win clash against Zimbabwe in their second Super 8 match of the 2026 T20 World Cup. India had earlier lost to South Africa in their opening Super 8 fixture, leaving them staring at possible elimination.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting urged Gambhir to avoid obsessing over matchups and instead trust his core group by picking the best XI suited to the conditions and backing them.
“Yeah, I think they probably will. The only thing I’d say, if I were India, is that I wouldn’t get too caught up in trying to nail every single matchup. I’d pick my best XI for the conditions and back them,” he said.
Ponting’s remarks came amid debate over Washington Sundar’s selection ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel against South Africa. While the team management later described it as a tactical call, the Australian great advised Gambhir against overthinking such decisions, stressing that these finer details rarely determine the outcome of a World Cup.
“I heard a lot of commentary last night suggesting Axar hasn’t played because of the left-handers in the opposition. That kind of thinking can sometimes have a negative impact. There are still right-handers in the side, and it ultimately comes down to the captain’s skill in using his bowlers at the right time.
“There’s enough class and quality in this Indian team that they don’t need to overthink every selection. One decision rarely wins you a game or a tournament. It’s very uncommon that you make one change and that player alone turns everything around.”
Ponting suggested India should consider bringing Axar back for the Zimbabwe game and also look at including Kuldeep Yadav in the XI. He acknowledged that fielding an extra specialist spinner could slightly weaken the batting, but argued that if the top seven cannot deliver, an eighth batter is unlikely to make a decisive difference.
“I’d go back to basics. Look at the conditions in Chennai and ask: who are our best XI here? If that includes Axar Patel, great. If it includes Kuldeep Yadav, I’d strongly consider him too. With Kuldeep, it doesn’t matter whether the batters are left- or right-handed — he can bowl the wrong’un and spin it away from both. Yes, it may slightly weaken the batting, but if seven batters can’t get the job done in T20 cricket, it’s rare that an eighth will suddenly make the difference. I wouldn’t be panicking at all. I’d keep the energy light around the group and back every player selected to be good enough to win the next game,” Ponting added.
