Zimbabwe have decided to bowl first in Chennai, a call that turns this group match into something close to sudden-death for both teams. South Africa’s earlier victory over West Indies simplified the maths a little: India merely have to win; Zimbabwe must win and do so handsomely to keep their tournament alive.
Explaining his decision at the toss, captain Sikandar Raza noted that “there was grass and moisture on the surface”, conditions he feels his seamers can exploit in the opening exchanges. Raza is still nursing a sore left hand – he skipped an X-ray so the medics could not even hint at a possible fracture – yet he insisted he would play through any discomfort tonight.
India shuffled their line-up again. Sanju Samson is back and, importantly, will keep wicket, prompting a loud roar from a crowd that will claim him as one of their own during the IPL. Washington Sundar steps out so vice-captain Axar Patel can return after sitting out the South Africa clash for what management called “tactical reasons”. Rinku Singh, fresh from a brief dash to Delhi to see his unwell father, also makes way – hardly ideal preparation for a must-win game but sometimes life intervenes.
The intrigue, then, is where Samson bats. He has opened in franchise cricket, he has floated in India colours, and he could end up anywhere between No.1 and No.5 this evening. Coach Rahul Dravid hinted during training that flexibility would be the watchword, though he stopped short of confirming a fixed slot.
Zimbabwe have made just one change to match what they see in the pitch. Out goes leg-spinner Graeme Cremer; in comes quick Tinotenda Maposa. Raza hopes the extra pace partner for Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava will tilt the opening ten overs their way. “If we nip a couple out early, the whole picture changes,” he said quietly, almost to himself.
Teams
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (capt), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava.
A must-win for both, then – yet the size of the task is different on each side of the scoreboard.
