New Delhi: It was a must-win game for India if they are to stay alive in the T20 World Cup semi-finals and they performed brilliantly. Defending champions India kept their hopes alive with a 72-run win over Zimbabwe in the Super Eights at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, while also giving their net run rate a much-needed boost.
Batting first, India posted a staggering 256 for four, thanks to opener Abhishek Sharma’s 55 and Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 50. Zimbabwe beat Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights but managed just 184 runs in six games, leaving India in complete control and setting up a winner-take-all clash against the West Indies on Sunday.
“We wanted to put everything behind us. We didn’t think too much about what we did in the league stage or the last game in Ahmedabad. Our video analysts prepared a slide for all the batsmen and bowlers that highlighted the great work we have done over the past year. We looked at it, took a lot of positivity from it and came here with clarity,” Suryakumar Yadav said after the match.
“Contributing from No. 1 to No. 7, I think there was almost nothing lacking in our performance. To be honest, we could have been a little more clinical on the ball. But at the end of the day, a win is a win and we’ll take advantage of it as we go forward.”
The victory also confirmed South Africa’s place in the semi-finals after a nine-wicket win over West Indies.
“We will definitely tighten up some screws when we go and play West Indies Cricket. I don’t want to take any credit away from the Zimbabwe batsmen. I thought they batted beautifully. Yes, the wickets were good, but the way they came into the innings – taking their time in the powerplay and then accelerating smartly – was impressive,” Suryakumar added.
India left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was the protagonist with figures of 3 for 24 in four overs. Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett got the consolation with an unbeaten 97, the highest individual score by a Zimbabwean in T20 World Cup history, as his team crashed out of the semi-finals despite getting off to a good start.
“Credit to them too. However, from a bowling perspective, we could have been a little smarter with some of our choices at crucial moments. In this case, we need to be brave and take decisions. There is no option but to take a positive line. Once we reach Kolkata, we will sit down and plan for this game. Now, we need to take a day off, travel and relax,” Surya concluded.