Ahead of the India vs Zimbabwe match in Chennai, Irfan Pathan urged the defending champions to play their natural game. Instead of focusing on net run rate, make sure to win games, the former India cricketer suggested to the Men in Blue.
On the evening of 26th February, the team led by Suryakumar Yadav will look to win the match against Zimbabwe. After losing to South Africa by 76 runs, India will have to defeat Zimbabwe to stay in the race for T20 World Cup 2026.
India should pay more attention to Zimbabwe
Tournament co-hosts must meet certain criteria before qualifying for the semi-finals. First of all, they will have to win both their remaining matches and second issue will be to improve the Net Run Rate (NRR). On paper, India looks better than its rival Zimbabwe.
But Chevron proved its class by defeating Australia and Sri Lanka in the first group stage. On the other hand, the batting of the Men in Blue has created concern among the fans. Apart from Shivam Dubey, no batsman showed any intention of winning the match against South Africa.
Confirm victory first: Irfan Pathan
The same can happen today also due to additional pressure. To keep players calm and collective, Irfan Pathan advises them to think first about victory and then about net run rate.
“I really hope that the approach of playing for the net run-rate will not come at the beginning of the game. The priority should be to win the game first. So, perform well and try to win. Only after that you should think about the run-rate”, Irfan Pathan said while speaking on Geostar’s Follow the Blues programme.
He said, “If you start thinking about chasing West Indies’ net run-rate, it is almost impossible. It would mean beating teams like Zimbabwe and West Indies by a margin of 100 runs, which is not easy in T20 cricket. So, I am fully hopeful that when the Indian team plays the next two matches, the main focus will be on winning first.”
The former international player of Team India also said that captain Suryakumar Yadav should come to bat early against Zimbabwe. Pathan, who is well aware of the inconsistent opening pair, believes Yadav can make a difference if he promotes himself up the batting order.
“I understand the conservative approach, especially because Abhishek is getting out early. In the last game, Ishan Kishan was out in the first over. You don’t want to expose Suryakumar Yadav at number three when he is so effective in the middle overs, scoring 160 runs”, said Pathan, explaining his philosophy of sending Yadav after the fall of the first wicket.
“If something goes wrong with the new ball, only a good ball can get him out. So, I understand the thinking. However, they still need to consider Suryakumar Yadav batting at number three to break the monotony of three left-handers at the top.”
read more: Irfan Pathan accused Hardik Pandya of stopping Kuldeep Yadav’s playing XI place in T20 World Cup 2026.
