India’s T20 World Cup title defence has hit a tense phase after a heavy defeat to South Africa in Ahmedabad. The loss has left them with no margin for error in the Super 8 stage; they now need to win, and win convincingly to stay firmly in the semi-final race.
Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl against India in their Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.
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With Group 1 qualification at stake, India face Zimbabwe in a must-win encounter. The Chevrons may have suffered a bruising outing against West Indies, conceding 254 after earlier wins over Australia and Sri Lanka but they remain a dangerous and fearless side capable of upsetting bigger teams.
Suryakumar Yadav and his men will be relieved that Zimbabwe do not carry overwhelming momentum into the clash. However, India’s own campaign has been far from smooth. The batting unit, in particular, has struggled to find rhythm. The opening pair has failed to survive beyond nine deliveries in any match so far, while Tilak Varma’s inconsistent run at No. 3 has repeatedly left the middle order under pressure.
With the tournament entering a decisive phase, changes could be on the cards as India search for a spark. While they may back themselves to secure the result, the bigger challenge lies in sending a statement to rivals such as England, South Africa and New Zealand — teams who may sense vulnerability.
India will be keen to reassert their dominance and remind the competition why they entered the tournament as defending champions.
Playing XIs
India XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
Zimbabwe XI:
Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava
