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The unbeaten Super 8 ‘group of death’ has produced a couple of one-sided games so far. First, co-hosts India lost to South Africa by 76 runs. Then, an in-form Zimbabwe which beat Sri Lanka and Australia were humbled with a 107-run defeat at the hands of two-time champions West Indies. While Zimbabwe's net run rate (NRR) has taken an even bigger hit than India, their skipper Sikandar Raza has said that both the teams will have a lot to prove on February 26 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
“Despite the bruises from today, every time Zimbabwe walks out, we aim to win. We want to put in strong performances and earn respect. If it’s India, then it’s India. Both teams have lost games, so there’s plenty to prove. We’ll take the lessons from today, use what we know about Chennai, and try to perform better. Then we’ll see what happens,” Raza said in the post-match press conference.
While Raza talked about the bruises to Zimbabwe players’ morale, he was hit on the left palm by Rovman Powell's shot on follow-through. He completed his over after getting medical attention but left the field during slog overs. Later, in the run chase, he contributed with a 20-ball 27 before getting bowled out Gudakesh Motie. He didn’t seem too worried about his injury.
“The plan of action is to go for an X-ray tomorrow and hopefully everything will be done,” he said.
Suryakumar’s statement on Zimbabwe game
Earlier, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav had said that the team won’t change its attacking approach against Zimbabwe in the must-win clash.
“Hopefully bat well, bowl well and field well. That’s it. We’ll try and keep it simple, play the same brand of cricket which we want to play and nothing changes. I think we’ll come back strong,” Suryakumar had said in the post-match presentation.
IND vs ZIM head-to-head in T20 World Cups
The last time India and Zimbabwe met in a T20 World Cup match was in the 2022 edition. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav's fifties helped India post 186/5. In reply, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 115. Apart from Raza and Ryan Burl, other Zimbabwe batters failed as they suffered a 71-run loss.
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