26 February,2026 08:18 AM IST | Chennai | R Kaushik
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav during India’s practice session in Chennai on Tuesday. Pic/Getty Images
Varun Chakravarthy had just finished an obligatory long bowl on the practice pitches. Away from the main arena, Tilak Varma was hard at work at the adjacent nets, receiving throwdowns. More Morkel, the bowling coach, kept throwing glances at his wristwatch as he walked-run around the perimeter of the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Ahead of their first must-win encounter against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup on Thursday, India took the âoptional' training session to heart, with only the aforementioned two players feeling the need to top up their skills.
This duo, and 12 of the other 13 members - Rinku Singh was given leave of absence to visit his ailing father - had an extended, extensive stint on Tuesday night that ran to nearly four hours. There was focus on range-hitting, obviously, but there were also numerous discussions between Gautam Gambhir and Sitanshu Kotak, the coaches, on one side and different batters at different stages on the other, including Tilak, the hapless Abhishek Sharma, his touted replacement Sanju Samson and skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
The heavy loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad might have been a one-off, but its inopportune timing and massive ramifications have catalysed discussions on whether India need to veer from their two-lefties opening combination. Team India have lost a first-over wicket four times in five games, while in Delhi, Samson was dismissed in the second. The last three matches have seen off-spinners get into business in the first over. Sikandar Raza, the Zimbabwean captain who also bowls off-spin, will try to make it four in a row by taking matters into his own right hand.
Zimbabwe rained on Australia's parade by knocking them out of Group B and celebrated their entry into the Super Eights with a stunning conquest of Sri Lanka. Their stars have been Brian Bennett, the opener with 180 runs, and Blessing Muzarabani, the tall pacer who has taken 11 wickets, second only to Shadley van Schalkwyk's 13. Zimbabwe are also a gun fielding and catching side, potentially the best in the competition, and if India aspire to get on the points table, they will have to win the match because Zimbabwe won't hand it over on a platter.
India are primed to make changes, though whether Samson comes in for Abhishek or plays alongside him is up for debate. No matter who plays, though, the objective is simple - get a âW', and live to fight another night.
2002
The year India and Zimbabwe last faced each other in international cricket on Indian soil; the hosts won this fifth ODI by 101 runs to clinch the five-match series 3-2
Zero
No. of T20Is India have played against Zimbabwe at home
10-3
India's win-loss record against Zimbabwe; the two teams have played 12 T20Is in Harare, while one match took place during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne
100
India's biggest victory margin (by runs) vs Zimbabwe; the visitors won this T20I at Harare in July 2024
Scenario 1
If South Africa and India win both their remaining matches.
Points tally: SA finish on top with 6 points, while India end second with 4 points.
Result: SA (1st) and India (2nd) qualify for the semis.
Scenario 2
If WI beat SA and the Proteas beat Zimbabwe, while India win both their remaining matches.
Points tally: India, SA, and WI will all end up on 4 points.
Result: It comes down to Net Run Rate. Since India's NRR is currently -3.800 and WI's is +5.350, India will need massive victory margins in both games (vs Zimbabwe and WI) to leapfrog them. As India and WI play the last league match of the Super 8 stage, both teams will be aware of the NRR scenario.
Scenario 3
If South Africa lose both their remaining games and India win both their matches.
Points tally: India and WI will end up on 4 points, while SA and Zimbabwe will finish on 2 points each.
Result: India and WI will qualify as the top 2 teams. However, given India's NRR is currently -3.800 and WI is +5.350, WI are most likely to finish above India.
Scenario 4
If India lose to Zimbabwe, while SA beat WI and Zimbabwe.
Then India have to beat WI by a big margin.
Points tally: SA finish on top with 6 points, while India, WI, and Zimbabwe finish on 2 points each.
Result: SA (1st) qualify, while one of India, WI, or Zimbabwe qualify on the basis of NRR.
