Former cricketer and commentator India gearing up for must-win clash with Zimbabwe in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Chennai Akash Chopra He urged the team to return to their fearless attacking approach if they want to keep their semi-final hopes alive.It’s going to be a high-pressure night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as India need not just a win but a sizeable margin to improve their net run-rate.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Chopra analyzed India’s promotion prospects and pointed out the challenges ahead.On India’s path to the semi-finals, he said: “The tough question for India is they need to win their remaining two Super Eights games and they also want South Africa to win their games against West Indies and Zimbabwe. But if that doesn’t happen, then net run rate comes into play. “Chopra stressed that India must rediscover their attacking mentality if qualification comes down to net run rate. He believes in the captain Suryakumar Yadav has a key role to play in this transition.“That’s when India need to come up with their explosive brand of cricket. Suryakumar Yadav is the man for this role. He needs to bat for three and bat freely. Against South Africa, I felt he was too slow. By the time he came out, the mountain was too high for others to climb,” he said.Chopra also expressed concerns over India’s current batting format, saying it lacks balance and clarity.“India’s batsmen went all out on the first ball and then lost wickets. This put the team in a tricky situation. Then the batsmen behind were too cautious and conservative. They started eating the ball regardless of the pitch, conditions or bowlers. They thoroughly gamed the situation and fell behind in the game. “He further noted that this cautious approach goes against the fearless cricketing spirit that India has shown in recent years.“This is not the brand of cricket that India have played in the last two years. They are proud to say we beat teams and scored 250, 260 Or 270. But Suryakumar Yadav and his men may have forgotten the formula. The template now is to score only 180-190 which is enough on some days, but good teams need to get back to their aggressive brand of cricket. If they don’t, they may be in trouble for the semi-finals,” he concluded.With their campaign hanging in the balance, India must perform well against Zimbabwe to remain in contention for a semi-final spot.
