NEW DELHI: Defending champions India national cricket team, shaken by a crushing defeat and weighed down by a fragile top order, will need to summon every bit of resolve when they face a dangerous Zimbabwe national cricket team in their second Super 8 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Thursday.

A convincing win is vital for India to stay alive in the ICC event after their net run rate nosedived to -3.80 following the 76-run hammering by South Africa on Sunday.

For that to happen, India must address the concerns around the opening pair and the No.3 position.

Heading into this World Cup, the holders relied heavily on the explosive starts provided by Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma to brush aside bilateral challenges against South Africa and New Zealand at home.

But Abhishek’s rhythm appears disrupted after a recent stomach infection. Slow pitches combined with off spinners moving the ball away from his hitting zone have blunted the left hander’s natural flair.

He remains far better than what his numbers suggest — just 15 runs from four matches at an average of 3.75 and a strike rate of 75.

The bigger question is whether he can curb his attacking instincts and graft for runs when the situation demands.

It may not be pretty, but sometimes winning requires embracing the ugly.

The adjustments made by England captain Harry Brook, a batter cut from a similar cloth, earned him a match winning hundred in Pallekele. His method could serve as a blueprint for the Indian opener.

Brook was never considered a strong player of spin, yet the Yorkshire batter dismantled Pakistan’s spinners in Pallekele by striking the right balance between caution and aggression.

Tilak Varma’s situation demands a different kind of correction.

One could argue that Abhishek’s struggles have forced Tilak into a more restrained role alongside Kishan, who has been outstanding with a strike rate of 193 despite chaos around him.

Still, a strike rate of 118 is below par for a batter operating in the Power Play in modern T20 cricket. His career strike rate in T20Is hovers around 141.

Suryakumar Yadav has accumulated 180 runs but at a strike rate of 127, far lower than his career mark of 161. That has left Kishan to shoulder most of the attacking burden.

If not for late surges from Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, India might have fallen well short of competitive totals in a few outings.

Should Samson be back?

Opponents have cleverly deployed off spinners during the Power Play against left handers Kishan, Abhishek and Tilak, effectively stifling India’s scoring rate.

Introducing right hander Sanju Samson into the top three could provide a tactical tweak, but the Kerala batter himself is not in the best touch.

Adding another out of form batter to an already unsettled unit remains a risky call.

Another option could be promoting Suryakumar to No.3 and sliding Tilak to No.4 to break the chain of left handers at the top.

There is, however, some optimism around conditions in Chennai.

The Chepauk surface, the same one used in the Afghanistan vs New Zealand morning fixture, saw New Zealand chase down a 180 plus target with relative ease.

India may also draw comfort from the fact that Zimbabwe’s spin trio of Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl lacks the same bite as some of the attacks they have encountered so far.

That said, the tall pace battery of Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans has the tools to trouble any batting lineup on their day.

On the bowling front, India remain largely settled despite allowing South Africa to recover to 187 for seven after reducing them to 20 for three.

Jasprit Bumrah continues to operate at peak levels and alongside Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, he should test a relatively inexperienced Zimbabwe batting order.

Strengthening the attack further, left arm spinner and vice-captain Axar Patel, who sat out against South Africa, is expected to return for this contest.

Squads:

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Ben Curran.

Match starts at 7 pm

(With PTI Inputs)