India registered a dominant win against Zimbabwe in a vital match in the Super 8 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 in Chennai on February 26. The team led by Suryakumar Yadav scored 256 runs in the first innings and won by 72 runs.
Despite the emphatic win, Team India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel faced criticism after the match, mainly due to a special over from Shivam Dubey in which he conceded 26 runs. In this over he bowled the ball far outside the pitch.
Manoj Tiwari took a dig at Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel
After the match, former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwari took a dig at the former South African fast bowler. He said that Morkel may be feeling pressure because of head coach Gautam Gambhir’s body language.
While the top six batsmen of the Indian batting order performed as per expectations, the bowlers struggled a bit in comparison. When the camera focuses on the Indian dug-out, Morkel’s serious expression is captured, perhaps due to the bowling performance of the bowlers.
Team India started well with the ball in the second innings, but as the match progressed, it struggled to maintain the appropriate line and length. Even in slog overs, the bowlers gave away more runs than expected. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, the other three bowlers who performed against Zimbabwe had a poor performance, which could be a cause of concern for Men in Blue bowling coach Morkel.
Shivam Dubey messed up with the ball
15th The over of the match became one of the main talking points of the game when captain Suryakumar Yadav handed the ball to fast bowling all-rounder Shivam Dubey. Dubey was one of those players who had performed consistently since the beginning of the T20 World Cup 2026. But last night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, he was not at his best. in 15th Ten balls were bowled in the over and 26 runs were given.
In 2 overs, Dubey gave away a total of 46 runs while taking one wicket. Varun Chakravarthy, who also struggled to find the proper line and length, conceded 35 runs in 4 overs and took one wicket. Akshar Patel’s bowling figure was equal to that of Varun Chakraborty.
“Sometimes Morne Morkel can feel a bit serious because he is such a company. I think it is a matter of concern that Varun Chakravarthy is not able to find his length like before. Against South Africa, he was pitching it a bit fuller, and players like Brewis and Stubbs were hitting him down the ground. Whereas today, he was a bit short, so Sikandar Raza was able to hit him,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz..
Tiwari told why Morne Morkel was not looking happy during the IND vs ZIM match
Tiwary believes that Morne Morkel’s serious look was due to Shivam Dubey repeatedly trying to bowl wide-length balls.
“It was because of Shivam Dubey’s experimentation with bowling wide yorkers that Morne Morkel looked so serious. If he bowls this type of ball and bowls what he knows, he can complete his over and leave. He has that ability. If there is anyone whose confidence has dropped in these last two matches, it would be Shivam Dubey,” Manoj Tiwary said.
Read more: India qualification scenario after Zimbabwe clash at T20 World Cup 2026
