"Who Said We Should Play Washington?" Ajinkya Rahane's Unfiltered Dig As Gautam Gambhir Faces Heat

In a scathing assessment of India's recent selection policy, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has launched a stinging critique against the national team management after the defeat against South Africa in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Rahane did not pull any punches when discussing the decision to sideline all-rounder Axar Patel in favour of Washington Sundar during the series against South Africa, suggesting that the team's leadership has fallen into a trap of overthinking their tactical choices.

Rahane expressed surprise at the decision-making process, questioning why a proven performer was left out. "I'm really surprised Axar Patel is not playing the match. I don't understand what is happening. Axar has been doing so well for India in different situations. Sometimes when you become too smart, I feel selection-wise that can hamper you," he said during a panel discussion on Cricbuzz.

The crux of Rahane's argument lies in the danger of over-analysing "match-ups" at the expense of proven quality. "You took Washington Sundar because there are too many left-handers in the South Africa team, but he only bowled two overs. And there is no guarantee that an off-spinner is going to bowl really well against left-handers. We saw what Keshav Maharaj did today against all the top left-handed batters."

Too Many Brains In The Backroom

Rahane, who has led the Indian team in Tests, took aim at the modern reliance on data analysts and backroom staff, suggesting they are over-complicating a simple game. "In this era of the game, there are so many in the backroom, there are so many analysts, there are so many scientists, too many brains, and sometimes the brains over-complicate life. When you get so many around the table, and you've been winning, I want to know the person who was around that board meeting and went, 'I think we should play Washington Sundar.'"

Addressing the possibility of an injury, Rahane noted that captain Suryakumar Yadav's comments at the toss suggested a tactical choice rather than a medical one. 

Gautam Gambhir Faces Heat

India head coach Gautam Gambhir is the first man to come under the line of fire after India's defeat. Gambhir's love for Sundar isn't hidden from anyone. Many believe that Gambhir is likely to have played a role in Sundar's selection over Axar. Even India captain Suryakumar confirmed at the toss that the decision was a 'tactical one' and not an injury concern.

"Surya at the toss didn't say niggle. Surya at the toss said Axar misses out because we're going ahead with Washington. He said 'extremely harsh on Axar', those were his exact words. It's one of those selections that, you know, you go back 15 years ago, there's no way in a million years that happens. You've been winning, and guess what you do, you just carry on," he said.

Even from a data-driven perspective, Rahane found the logic fundamentally flawed, pointing out that Patel's statistics actually support his inclusion against left-handed opposition. 

"If you're talking match-ups and pure data, his numbers against left-handers are actually better than against right-handers. So even if you're looking at data, it doesn't work. How has the decision been made? Who is that person?"

Concluding his critique, Rahane emphasised the importance of backing established players.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Ajinkya Rahane Axar Patel Gautam Gambhir T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket