‘Don’t have Marshall like fear factor’:Shoaib Akhter criticised Indian bowling lineup, backs Kuldeep; raised questions over Varun’s pace

After India’s crushing 76-run defeat against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super-8 match, former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has targeted the Indian bowling attack. Akhtar said, ‘’Hardik and Shivam Dube were bowling at 120 kilometers per hour. They are not Malcolm Marshall who can intimidate a team like South Africa. If you make them bowl in death overs, such a counterattack from African batsmen was inevitable.” Malcolm Marshall was a West Indies bowler who used to bowl at 150 kilometers per hour. In the 1970s and 80s when West Indies ruled the cricket world, Marshall was their most dangerous weapon. He was known for bowling the world’s most dangerous bouncers. Many legendary batsmen had their noses and jaws broken by his deliveries. Akhtar believes that this defeat has exposed the weaknesses of the Indian bowling unit. He said that Indian bowlers appeared completely ineffective against a strong batting line-up like South Africa. In particular, he described Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube’s bowling as lacking edge. Together, both all-rounders conceded 67 runs in 6 overs and took only one wicket. Questions raised on Varun Chakravarthy’s reduced speed
Akhtar also commented on mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling. He said that Varun did not appear in his usual rhythm. According to Akhtar, ”Varun’s strength is bowling at speeds of 97-98 kilometers per hour, but in this match he came down to 94 speed. When he came on attack, Dewald Brevis hit him for a six. This clearly shows that the bowlers were under pressure.” ‘Kuldeep Yadav is a match winner, play him’ – Shoaib Akhter
Akhtar has given a major suggestion for improving Indian bowling. He advocated for including chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav in the playing eleven. Akhtar said, ‘’This team is missing Kuldeep Yadav. He is a bowler who can deceive batsmen in the air and take wickets when needed. He is a match-winner player and keeping him out is beyond understanding.” Sundar and Varun’s bowling can be predicted beforehand
Akhtar believes that Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy are bowlers with similar skills. This makes it easy for batsmen to predict the Indian attack. He said that when there is no variety in the attack, the world’s top teams easily target Indian bowlers. This was seen in the match against South Africa where African batsmen did not let Indian spinners settle. Indian team was all out for 111 runs in Ahmedabad
On Sunday, February 22, Team India lost to South Africa by 76 runs in the third Super-8 match. At Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the African team won the toss and chose to bat. The team scored 187 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. In response, the Indian team was all out for 111 runs in 18.5 overs. Marco Jansen took 4 wickets. Keshav Maharaj took 3 wickets. Corbin Bosch got 2 and Aiden Markram got one wicket. Shivam Dube scored the highest 42 runs. Earlier, David Miller scored 63 runs off 35 balls for South Africa. While Dewald Brevis scored 45 runs. Tristan Stubbs scored unbeaten 44 runs off 24 balls. Jasprit Bumrah took 3 wickets. Arshdeep Singh took 2 wickets.