A win will put India in first place in Group 2, but a loss could let Pakistan through to the semifinals.
Bangladesh Rohit Sharma will attempt to feast on Zimbabwe’s bowling assault in a must-win T20 World Cup game in Melbourne on Sunday.
With KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav also producing meaningful knocks, Virat Kohli (74 runs in 4 games) is in line to play one of his little gems on a pitch where he has achieved many white ball hundreds.
Rohit has played several nice shots, but only against the Netherlands. He’s too good not to get sixes.
Two weeks ago, the MCG saw an epic Indo-Pak duel and a career-best performance from Kohli. A win against Zimbabwe will pave the door to the final four stage.
In that environment, the match against Zimbabwe is a must-win for India, which is a runaway Favorite to beat Regis Chakabva’s side, whose campaign started well but faded off.
Zimbabwe’s batting hasn’t exactly sparkled, and against the current Indian attack, it would be difficult for them to put up a fantastic show.
R. Ashwin is the only Indian bowler who may improve on his performance so far.
A win will put India in first place in Group 2, while a loss could allow Pakistan to advance if they beat Bangladesh with a greater net run-rate.
South Africa, in second place with five points, will make it if they beat the Netherlands, but if they lose and Pakistan wins, India and Pakistan will advance.
If India wins, they will play England or Australia in the semifinals. If England beats Sri Lanka on Saturday, India will fly to Adelaide to face Jos Buttler’s team. If Sri Lanka wins, India will have to travel to Sydney to face Australia, who would sneak into the last four.
While India has not changed its batting order significantly, Axar Patel was dropped against South Africa because of their many left-handed players.
With Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Ryan Burl, and Sean Williams in Zimbabwe’s batting lineup, team management may deploy Deepak Hooda again like against South Africa.
Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, who is having a dream 2022 season, will be India’s biggest challenge.
Harshal Patel, a seam bowling all-rounder, can keep the lower middle order steady.
Team management doesn’t want to lengthen the tail by playing bowler Yuzvendra Chahal.
Chahal may have been picked since he has an excellent record against English hitters if India faces England in the semi-final.
Zimbabwe and India have never played in a T20 World Cup, but a recent white ball tour gave India’s coaches ample data to plan their strategy.
Although it was an ODI tour, the Zimbabwe team’s nucleus is the same.
If they had beaten the Netherlands, they might have stayed in the competition.
Zimbabwe has spoiled Pakistan’s party in this T20 World Cup, while South Africa plays the Netherlands in their final game.
India’s batting order would like to put up an impressive display if they bat first and achieve near 200 runs.
Rohit and Rahul want to give India a strong start in the Powerplay overs to give them an advantage in the semi-final.
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 Pant, Depak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Regis Chakabva, 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.
