After their defeat in their first Super Eight clash against South Africa, India find themselves in a tricky situation and need to win their remaining two games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to stay in contention for the last-four stage of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Ahead of their must-win game against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday, former India spinner Anil Kumble wants Team India to play their “natural and aggressive” brand of cricket and respect the opposition.
“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 remained unbeaten in the group stage until they were thrashed by West Indies in their first Super Eight game, which put their net run-rate even behind India. Now, in order to qualify to the semis of the T20 World Cup, they need to register convincing wins over India and South Africa. However, Kumble warned India not to take the African nation lightly.
“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,” Kumble added.
