Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav Receive Blunt Message From India Great Ahead Of Zimbabwe Clash: 'No Ifs And Buts'
Following their defeat to South Africa in the first Super 8 game, India find themselves in a tricky situation.
Ahead of India's must-win Super 8 fixture against Zimbabwe, former India spinner Anil Kumble has advised the Suryakumar Yadav-led side not to take the African nation lightly and to play their natural, aggressive brand of cricket. Following their defeat to South Africa in the first Super 8 game, India find themselves in a tricky situation. They will now need to beat both West Indies and Zimbabwe to keep their hopes of reaching the knockouts in their own hands.
"India need to play their natural, aggressive brand of cricket against Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe are going to be a tough opponent, and they must be respected. They have delivered some strong performances. They beat Australia. They chased down 179 against Sri Lanka on Sri Lankan soil.
"They have convincingly beaten Australia. Their top four batters have been in excellent form. Their tall fast bowlers, Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans, have been outstanding with the ball, especially in the powerplay," Kumble said on JioHotstar.
Zimbabwe had a dream run in the ongoing tournament and were unbeaten in their group stage fixtures. But their campaign hit a major hurdle after their brutal loss to the Windies in the first Super 8 match, which leaves them further behind India on net run-rate. To now have any chance of progressing past the Super Eight stage, they must now beat both India and South Africa convincingly.
"India cannot take them lightly. They need to be at the top of their game. Any individual who gets going must make it count. You cannot assume the next batter will do the job. In the T20 World Cup, there are no ifs and buts. You have to go out and deliver as an individual. So yes, you hope for the right result, but India must focus on doing what they need to do," he added.
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India Cricket Team
Zimbabwe Cricket Team