India face tough Zimbabwe test after South Africa loss in T20 World Cup

India face Zimbabwe in a crucial Super 8 clash needing a big victory to improve their net run rate after defeat to South Africa. Batting concerns at the top order remain key as India aim to revive their T20 World Cup campaign

Chennai: Bogged down by top-order brittleness and under pressure after a heavy loss, defending champions India will need every ounce of resilience when they take on a tricky Zimbabwe in their second Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.

Winning by a big margin is critical for India’s survival in the ICC showpiece, given the blow to their net run rate (-3.80) after the 76-run defeat to South Africa on Sunday.

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But for that, India need to fix the issues surrounding the opening and No 3 slots.

Coming into this World Cup, the reigning champions relied on excellence from Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma at the top to overcome bilateral challenges against South Africa and New Zealand at home.

However, Abhishek’s batting form has dipped after a stomach infection. A combination of slow pitches and off-spinners, who took the ball away from his hitting arc, has reduced the left-hander’s firepower.

He is certainly a better batter than his current numbers suggest — 15 runs from four matches at an average of 3.75 and a strike-rate of 75.

The real question is whether he can set aside the desire to play his natural game and grind out some runs. It may not look flashy, but sometimes one needs to play cautiously to win.

The changes made by England skipper Harry Brook, a batter in Abhishek’s mould, helped him score a match-winning hundred against Pakistan in Pallekele. Watching him may give Abhishek an example to follow.

Playing spin was never Brook’s forte, yet he overcame Pakistan’s spin attack by balancing defence and aggression.

Tilak Varma also needs a course correction, but of a different kind. Abhishek’s lean patch has forced Tilak to play a more supportive role to Kishan, who continues to impress with a strike-rate of 193 amid the top-order struggles.

Even so, a strike-rate of 118 is too low for a batter in the Power Play as per modern T20 standards. Tilak generally strikes at around 141 in T20Is.

Suryakumar Yadav has 180 runs, but at a strike-rate of 127, far below his T20I career rate of 161. This has left Kishan doing most of the scoring work.

Had it not been for the acceleration by Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, India would have struggled to reach competitive totals in a couple of matches.

Should Samson be back?

Opposition teams have cleverly used off-spinners in the Power Play against India’s three left-handed batters — Kishan, Abhishek and Tilak — to curb scoring opportunities.

Including Sanju Samson, a right-hander, in the top three could be a quick fix, but the Kerala batter himself is not in form. Adding another struggling batter in an already difficult situation is debatable.

The team think-tank may consider promoting Suryakumar to No 3 and pushing Tilak down to No 4 to break the sequence of left-handers at the top.

The management can take heart that Chepauk might offer the best surface yet in this tournament. The same track was used for the Afghanistan vs New Zealand match in an 11 am game, where New Zealand chased a 180-plus target comfortably.

Zimbabwe’s spin attack of Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl is not as potent as others India have faced in the tournament. However, their fast bowlers — Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans — can pose tough questions on their day.

On the bowling front, India have little to worry about despite a lapse that allowed South Africa to reach 187 for seven after struggling at 20 for three.

Jasprit Bumrah remains as brilliant as ever, and alongside Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, he should be able to contain Zimbabwe’s relatively inexperienced batting unit.

Adding further firepower, left-arm spinner and vice-captain Axar Patel, who was benched against South Africa, is set to return for this match.

Squads:

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy, 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.