Chennai, Feb 25 India, facing challenges in their top order and under pressure after a significant loss, will need to utilize all their resilience when they face a tricky Zimbabwe in their second match of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.
Winning this match is crucial for India's chances in the ICC tournament, given the negative impact of their net run rate (-3.80) following their 76-run defeat to South Africa on Sunday.
However, for that, India needs to address the issues surrounding the opening and No.3 positions.
Before this World Cup, the champions relied on the strong performances of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma to overcome challenges against South Africa and New Zealand at home.
However, Abhishek's batting has been affected by a stomach infection. The combination of slow pitches and off-spinners has made it difficult for the left-handed batsman to perform.
He is certainly a better batter than his recent scores – 15 runs from four matches at an average of 3.75 with a strike rate of 75.
The key question is whether he can maintain his form and score consistently.
Sometimes, it's necessary to adopt a different approach to succeed.
England captain Harry Brook, who plays similarly to Abhishek, successfully adapted to the pitches and scored a match-winning hundred last night in Pallekele. This could provide an example for the Indian opener.
Brook, despite being a left-handed batter, dominated Pakistan's spin attack in Pallekele, maintaining a good balance between defense and aggression.
Tilak Varma also needs to improve his performance.
One argument is that Abhishek's recent poor form has necessitated Tilak to play a more supportive role alongside Kishan, who continues to impress with a strike rate of 193 despite the challenges in the top order.
However, a strike rate of 118 is still too low for a batter playing in the Power Play segment according to the modern T20 template. He generally scores around 141 in T20Is.
Suryakumar Yadav has 180 runs, but these have come at a strike rate of 127, significantly lower than his T20I career strike rate of 161. This has put a lot of pressure on Kishan to perform.
Without the contributions of Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, India would have struggled to reach par totals in a couple of matches.
Should Samson be included in the playing XI?
The opposition teams have cleverly deployed off-spinners in the Power Play against the three left-handed batters – Kishan, Abhishek, and Tilak – to restrict their scoring opportunities.
The inclusion of Sanju Samson, a right-handed batter, can be a quick fix, but he is not in top form.
Therefore, the impact of adding another struggling batter to an already difficult situation is debatable.
In that context, the team think-tank can consider promoting Suryakumar to No. 3 and pushing Tilak down to No. 4 to break the sequence of left-handed batters at the top.
However, the management can take heart from the fact that Chepauk might offer the best surface yet in this tournament.
The same track was used in the match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, albeit at an 11 am start. In that match, New Zealand comfortably chased down a target of 180+ set by Afghanistan.
What might work for India is the fact that Zimbabwe's spin attack of Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza, and Ryan Burl is not as potent as some other teams they have faced in the tournament.
However, their fast bowlers, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, and Brad Evans, are capable of putting pressure on the batters.
On the bowling front, India have little to worry about despite a fumble that allowed the Proteas to reach 187 for seven after struggling at 20 for three.
Jasprit Bumrah is performing exceptionally well, and with the support of Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya, he should be able to contain a relatively inexperienced Zimbabwe batting unit.
Adding another left-arm spinner to the team, Axar Patel, who was benched against South Africa, is expected to play a key role in 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 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.
