India take on Zimbabwe as Sikandar Raza won the toss and chose to bowl first in their all-important T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash at the Chepauk stadium on February 26. India made two changes in their playing XI as Sanju Samson and Axar Patel were brought in in place of Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe brought in Tinotenda Maposa in place of Graeme Cremer in their playing XI.
What did the captains say at the toss?
Zimbabwe skipper, after winning the toss, said:
"Raza: We're going to have a bowl. Not your usual Chennai wicket. Looks moist, want to give the best chance to the seamers. If we can restrict India to a low total, will go a long way. As much as we're feeling the heat, our opposition will be feeling the same. It's holding on alright. One tactical change, Cremer misses out, Tinotenda Maposa comes in."
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Meanwhile, India captain Suryakumar Yadav, after losing the toss:
"Surya: Happy with the decision, were looking to bat first. Boys are ready. Mood in the camp is relaxed. The way he spoke in the huddle (Hardik), experienced player, he knows what he brings to the table. Team required that and I think we'll have a good day tonight. Even if you win or lose, you learn something out of it. Just forget what happened in the last game. Play the same way as you've been playing last whole year. Enjoy the game and forget everything. Be fearless. Two changes: Axar comes in for Washington, Samson comes in for Rinku. Sanju will keep.."
India's Playing XI:
Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Zimbabwe's Playing XI:
Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava
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India vs Zimbabwe Head-to-Head in T20Is
India and Zimbabwe have locked horns with each other 13 times in T20Is so far. In these encounters, India have notched 10 wins, while Zimbabwe have emerged victorious on three occasions.
Pitch Report
"There is a nice cool breeze coming across my shoulder, which is probably the coolest conditions you get in Chennai at this time of the year. The wicket is smack bang in the middle, so from a dimensions perspective it is even square — 67 metres on both sides — and a good 77 metres straight down the ground. Players don’t really care about the boundary rope, though; they just look for the stands. It’s a black soil pitch with enough in it for the bowlers to work with in terms of slowness. It’s not the green tinge we saw in the previous game between Afghanistan and New Zealand, but the batters are still going to have a good time and will be happy with the kind of score they put up. What has really worked here are slower balls. If the fast bowlers give it good revs into the pitch, it tends to grip and stop on the batter. With the square boundaries being quite big, it gives them plenty of room to work with. Ideally, if you don’t get above 170, you’ll be struggling because this pitch has been excellent for batting and one of the higher-scoring surfaces in this World Cup so far. It’s a must-win clash for both sides, and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top," Katey Martin and Dinesh Karthik analysed the pitch.