India will face Zimbabwe in the ICC T20 World Cup Super 8 Match 2 and it is a must win for India after their semi-final hopes suffered a huge blow with a humiliating defeat to South Africa in the first match. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side will be hoping for a complete match with rain favoring Chennai.
India were favorites in this edition of the T20 World Cup, and especially against South Africa, they looked like never before. A few months before the World Cup, India hosted South Africa for a T20 series, which they won 3–1, and then played their only warm-up match before the start of the World Cup against the Proteas, which they also won easily.
However, India suffered a humiliating defeat by the Proteas by a humiliating margin of 76 runs in their first match of the Super-8 group stage. India’s net run rate has taken a huge blow and their remaining two matches have not only become do or die for them but the margin of victory has also become very high.
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India are currently placed third above Zimbabwe in the group table. West Indies and South Africa have a huge advantage due to higher net run rates. This run-rate difference was further worsened by West Indies’ impressive 107-run win over Zimbabwe.
India are scheduled to play their next match against Zimbabwe on Thursday, February 26 at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium. Although this is a must-win game for the Men in Blue, even if they lose this game, they will not be officially out of the race for the semi-finals.
However, their chances will largely depend on the other teams and the net run rate. If South Africa beats West Indies and India beats Zimbabwe in today’s clash, it is their biggest win situation. However, if West Indies beats South Africa and India beats Zimbabwe, the situation becomes difficult.
The final and most undesirable scenario for India would be if they lose another match and West Indies beats South Africa. In such circumstances, they have nothing to do but wait for the South Africa vs Zimbabwe match and hope for a big upset.
Weather forecast at MA Chidambaram Stadium: Will rain spoil India’s move?
To keep itself competitive, India will have to control the net run rate in the competition. The best way to gain an advantage is to beat Zimbabwe by a big margin, which could bring their run-rate back into positive integers.
The game is set in one of the most challenging locations of India. India have had to struggle a lot against spinners and Zimbabwe too has no shortage of them. Instead, Ryan Burl’s statement made it clear that he has also kept India’s spin struggle in his strategy.
Chennai will provide an overall good cricketing environment and there will be no chance of rain on Thursday. On cool evenings, the humidity factor may be slightly higher, and dew factor is very likely to come into effect.
There will be big changes in the Indian team after the defeat from South Africa.
There is a possibility of new changes in the Indian team after the defeat in the last game. Opener and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson was seen taking wicketkeeping practice in the nets, while fellow wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan was seen taking fielding practice.
This indicates that both will form the opening pair for India, with Abhishek Sharma being rested due to the heavy presence of off-spinners in the Zimbabwe team. However, it is also worth noting that Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans, the two fast bowlers, have been their standout performers so far in this tournament.
India may also rest Rinku Singh as the batsman missed his training session as he had to visit his father, who is hospitalized due to ill health. So Washington Sundar may retain his place, as India may bring in their third spinner along with Axar Patel. With India unwilling to compromise on their batting depth, Kuldeep is not among the options.
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