Stung by top-order fragility and reeling after a heavy defeat, defending champions India will need to summon significant resolve when they face a tricky Zimbabwe in their second Super 8 clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Chennai on Thursday.
A commanding win is vital to keep India’s campaign alive after their net run rate plummeted to -3.80, following a 76-run loss to South Africa on Sunday. To achieve that, however, India must urgently address instability in the opening and number three positions.
Heading into the tournament, the reigning champions had relied on the prolific form of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma at the top to overcome bilateral challenges against South Africa and New Zealand at home. But Abhishek’s momentum appears to have stalled after a stomach infection. Slow surfaces combined with off-spinners targeting the angle away from his hitting arc have blunted the left-hander’s effectiveness.
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His returns—15 runs in four matches at an average of 3.75 and a strike-rate of 75—are well below his potential. The pressing question now is whether he can temporarily shelve his instinctive attacking approach and focus on grafting runs. It may lack flair, but sometimes substance outweighs style in tournament cricket.
England captain Harry Brook, a batter with a similar attacking template, recently showcased adaptability with a match-winning hundred in Pallekele. Traditionally not known for playing spin with authority, the Yorkshire batter dismantled Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack by carefully balancing defence and aggression—a blueprint Abhishek might consider emulating.
Tilak Varma’s issues are of a different nature. While Abhishek’s slump has perhaps compelled Tilak to adopt a more measured role alongside Kishan—who continues to impress with a blazing strike-rate of 193—Tilak’s strike-rate of 118 remains underwhelming for a Power Play batter in modern T20 cricket. His usual T20I strike-rate hovers around 141, making the dip significant.
Suryakumar Yadav has accumulated 180 runs but at a modest strike-rate of 127, far below his career T20I mark of 161. This has left Kishan carrying much of the scoring burden. India might have struggled to post competitive totals in a couple of games were it not for late surges from Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya.
Should Sanju Samson return?
Opponents have cleverly deployed off-spinners during the Power Play against India’s trio of left-handers—Kishan, Abhishek and Tilak—to stifle scoring. Introducing right-hander Sanju Samson into the top three could offer tactical balance, though his own form has been patchy. Adding another struggling batter to an already unsettled line-up carries its own risks.
Another option would be promoting Suryakumar to No. 3 and pushing Tilak to No. 4 to disrupt the sequence of left-handers at the top. The team management may also draw encouragement from conditions at Chepauk, which could offer their best batting surface of the tournament.
The same pitch was used for the Afghanistan-New Zealand match in a morning fixture, where New Zealand comfortably chased down a 180-plus target. Zimbabwe’s spin trio of Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl may not pose the same level of threat as other attacks India have encountered so far.
However, Zimbabwe’s tall seamers—Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and the lively Brad Evans—have the tools to challenge any batting line-up on their day.
From a bowling perspective, India have fewer concerns despite allowing South Africa to recover from 20 for three to post 187 for seven. Jasprit Bumrah remains at the peak of his powers, and alongside Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, he should be well-equipped to test a relatively inexperienced Zimbabwe batting unit.
Adding further depth, left-arm spinner and vice-captain Axar Patel, rested against South Africa, is expected to return to the XI.
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