CHENNAI: When was the last time Indian players were forced to focus on another match before taking the field? It’s hard to remember, but that’s exactly where they are in the T20 World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav & Co. are hoping South Africa can defeat the West Indies in Ahmedabad before India take on Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. If the situation were reversed, things would likely be out of their control and Zimbabwe would still need to beat South Africa. India’s humiliating defeat against South Africa, which left them with a net run rate (NRR) of -3.8, has put them in trouble, but it wasn’t a bolt from the blue.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!From the first game against the United States, India’s batting line-up was found to have shortcomings, but there seemed to be a strange reluctance to accept shortcomings. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav all but laughed off reporters’ inquiries about a possible change in South Africa’s batting order ahead of the match, but their humiliating defeat has changed every equation. Changes are now being considered and Sanju Samson is likely to be selected to bat first. “Yes, there may be changes. There are three left-handed bowlers up there and we have lost one wicket in the first over in the last three games. I personally don’t see much of a problem but we will see how we deal with it,” batting coach Sitamshu Kotak said on Wednesday.
It was a hot day in Chennai on Wednesday with summer just around the corner and only two players – C Varun and Tilak Varma – took part in the optional training session. However, the team held a four-hour practice on Tuesday night and every batter was ready to take a shot from the start. If Sanju comes on, Surya and Tilak are likely to be one spot behind, but they look most focused on hitting every ball out of the park. Both are struggling with their shooting percentages and they know the No. 1 spot. There won’t be much time to settle in on the 4th and 5th.However, Kotak is not prepared to believe that the pair have been struggling for form. “South Africa did have a bad game, but that’s in the past. But against Pakistan, we knew what we wanted, 175 over par. Tilak and Suriya played according to the situation,” the batting coach said.While restoring batting momentum is high on India’s agenda, Axar Patel is also likely to come back in place of Linku Singh, who has returned home to take care of his ailing father.
“At No. 8, we are probably looking at an all-rounder,” Kotak said in reply to another question. But it left enough signs that Aqsa would be back, with his exclusion in Ahmedabad raising eyebrows.The Chepauk pitch is likely to be a bright spot – if India bat first and don’t lose wickets en masse, then 200-plus runs shouldn’t be a problem. This will put Zimbabwe, a team with little firepower, out of the running. Ryan Burt, one of Zimbabwe’s top all-rounders, feels India will also be carrying too much baggage. “This is a must-win game for us and India. They lost miserably in the first game, and we also lost miserably. Of course, we learned some things that we want to move forward,” Burt said.The Zimbabwe team departs on Tuesday and Wednesday’s training session is their first in Chebauk. The ground conditions were very different to what they experienced in Sri Lanka, where they defeated Australia and Sri Lanka. Burt agreed it would be a challenge.There is good news for Zimbabwe, their captain Sikandar Raza is back fit after being hit by the bowler against West Indies.
