Sundar is the solution to all his problems: Manjrekar mocks Gambhir after SA thrashing

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir for what he described as puzzling tactical decisions during the Super 8 clash against South Africa, where the defending champions crashed to a 76-run defeat.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar mocked coach Gautam Gambhir's over-reliance on all-rounder Washington Sundar after the Suryakumar Yadav-led side suffered a 76-run crushing loss to South Africa in their Super 8 opener in Ahmedabad.

The defeat, India's heaviest in T20 World Cup history, left the defending champions on the brink of elimination and dealt a significant blow to their net run rate. Having been tipped as favourites to become the first team to retain the title, India now find themselves in a must-win situation in their remaining fixtures.

Manjrekar took issue with what he described as questionable tactical calls, particularly Sundar's promotion to No. 5 during India's failed chase of 188 after a top-order collapse. The decision to pick Sundar ahead of vice-captain Axar Patel had already drawn attention, with the team management maintaining that it was a purely tactical move.

Drawing a sharp analogy, Manjrekar compared Sundar's role in the side to a multipurpose Ayurvedic medicine.

"Kailas Jeevan, there used to be a medicine by that name back in the day. If you had a headache, you would use it. If you had a stomach issue, you would take it. It was an all-in-one remedy. Gautam Gambhir seems to have an all-in-one solution for everything too, Washington Sundar," Manjrekar said on CNN-News18's Stump Mic while analysing India's batting performance.

"If there's a batting problem, Washi. If there's a bowling problem, Washi. He was promoted up the order to No. 5 today, and then Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya walked in at No. 7. It was just too much," he added.