Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: It was a must-win game for India to stay alive in the T20 World Cup semifinal race, and they delivered in emphatic fashion. Defending champions India crushed Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super Eights clash at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, keeping their hopes alive while giving their net run rate a much-needed boost.Batting first, India posted a mammoth 256 for four, thanks to a blazing 55 from opener Abhishek Sharma and an unbeaten 50 from Hardik Pandya. Zimbabwe, who had stunned Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights, could only manage 184 for six in reply, leaving India in complete control and setting up a winner-takes-all clash against the West Indies on Sunday.
“We wanted to leave everything behind. We didn’t think too much about what we did in the league stage or in the last game in Ahmedabad. Our video analyst had prepared a slide for all the batters and bowlers, highlighting what we’ve done well over the past year. We looked at that, took a lot of positivity from it, and came here with clarity,” Suryakumar Yadav said after the match.“With contributions from the top order right down to number seven, I think there was hardly anything missing in our performance. To be very honest, we could have been a little more clinical with the ball. But at the end of the day, a win is a win, and we’ll take it as we move forward.”The victory also confirmed South Africa’s place in the semifinals after their nine-wicket win over West Indies.“We’ll definitely tighten a few screws when we go and play the West Indies cricket team. I don’t want to take any credit away from the Zimbabwean batters. I think they batted beautifully. Yes, the wicket was good, but the way they approached the innings — taking their time in the powerplay and then accelerating smartly — was impressive,” Suryakumar added.India’s left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh starred with the ball, returning 3 for 24 from his four overs. Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett was left with the consolation of an unbeaten 97, the highest individual score by a Zimbabwean in T20 World Cup history, as his side bowed out of semifinal contention despite a promising start.“Credit goes to them as well. From a bowling point of view, though, we could have been a little smarter with certain options at key moments. In situations like this, we need to be courageous with our decisions. There’s no option other than taking the positive route. Once we reach Kolkata, we’ll sit down and plan properly for that game. For now, it’s about taking a day off, travelling, and relaxing,” Surya concluded.
