With Virat Kohli in imperious form and other top hitters such as KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav also playing hard-hitting shots each, the Indian captain (74 points in 4 games) is in line to play one of his little gems on a field where he scored several hundred white balls.
Rohit played some good shots but saves the game against the Netherlands, he didn’t shoot much in other games. He’s too good a player not to advance those booming sixes.
Exactly two weeks ago the MCG witnessed an epic Indo-Pak clash and a round of a lifetime from Kohli, but the game against Zimbabwe is no less important as a win will pave the way. in the last four stages.
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Against this backdrop, the game against Zimbabwe is a must for the Indian side, who are seen as favorites to beat Regis Chakabva’s side whose campaign started in style but fizzled towards the end.
Zimbabwe’s stick didn’t exactly fire and against the current Indian attack it would be hard for them to put up a stellar show as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami were on the money.
The one man in the Indian bowling attack who would expect to put up a batting show he hasn’t done so far is R Ashwin, who has been steady but not outstanding.
A victory will put India on pole position in Group 2, but a defeat could pave the way for Pakistan, who will qualify for the semi-finals if they beat Bangladesh in their last super 12 game with a better rate of net race.
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South Africa, who currently sit second with five points, will also claim victory against the Netherlands, but if they lose and Pakistan win, the latter and India will advance to the last four.
If India finish top, they will face England or Australia in the semi-finals.
If England win against Sri Lanka on Saturday India will travel to Adelaide to meet Jos Buttler’s men but if Sri Lanka win then the Men In Blue will have to travel to Sydney to meet Australia, who would sneak into the last four. arrange.
While the Indian team didn’t change the batting order much, Axar Patel was dropped against South Africa due to multiple left-handed players on his roster.
With Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Ryan Burl and Sean Williams in the Zimbabwean batting lineup, it’s possible the team’s management will again use Deepak Hooda in the lineup as the Proteas match.
However, India’s biggest threat will be Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, who is in the midst of a dream 2022 season and would love to end the tournament on a high.
The other option will be to use Harshal Patel, the bowling second all-rounder, who can be used to retain the strength of the lower middle order.
The reason why Yuzvendra Chahal, a bowler of immense caliber, is not bowled is that the team management does not want the line to be longer than it already is at the moment.
But given that India in all likelihood could face England in the semi-finals, Chahal could have been used as he has a good record against England batters.
Zimbabwe and India have never met in T20 World Cups over the years, but a recent white-ball tour of the African nation has certainly given the coaching staff enough data to understand their strategy.
Although this is an ODI tour and India’s top T20 players are not featured in this series, the core of the Zimbabwe squad is the same.
Had they won against the Netherlands, they might still have had an outside chance to stay relevant in the competition.
But Zimbabwe have done one thing in this T20 World Cup and that is to act like a party maniac for Pakistan, who are on the verge of being knocked out with South Africa taking on the Netherlands in of their last game.
The average average score in this T20 World Cup is between 155 and 160 but India’s batting order would like to put up a towering display in case they strike first and reach close to 200 runs.
While India have won three out of four games, what Rohit and Rahul would like to do is give the team a strong start in the Powerplay overs which will automatically give them an advantage heading into the semi-final.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rishabh pantsDepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Zimbabwe: Regis Chakabva (captain), Sean Williams, Sean Ervine, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakdazka, Tony Munyonga, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Multon Shumba.
Match start: 1:30 p.m. (IST)
