Suryakumar Yadav (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: It was a must-win game for India to stay alive in the T20 World Cup semi-final race and they delivered in emphatic fashion. Defending champions India crushed Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super Eights clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, keeping their hopes alive while giving their clean run a much-needed boost.Batting first, India posted a mammoth 256 for four thanks to a brilliant 55 from opener Abhishek Sharma and an unbeaten 50 from Hardik Pandya. Zimbabwe, who stunned Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights, could only manage 184 for six in reply to completely dominate India and set up a winner-takes-all showdown against the West Indies on Sunday.
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“We wanted to put everything behind us. We didn’t think too much about what we did in the league stage or the last game in Ahmedabad. Our video analyst prepared a slide for all the batsmen and bowlers highlighting what we did well in the last year. We looked at it, took a lot of positives from it and came here with a clear idea,” Suryakumar Yadav said after the match.“With contributions from the top order to number seven, I think there was almost nothing missing from our performance. To be very honest, we could have been a bit 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 win also confirmed South Africa’s place in the semi-finals following their nine-wicket win over the West Indies.“We will definitely tighten a few screws when we go to play the West Indies cricket team. I don’t want to take any credit away from the Zimbabwean batsmen. I think they batted beautifully. Yes, the wicket was good, but the way they approached the innings – they took their time in the power bowl and then stepped up smartly – was impressive,” Suryakumar added.Indian left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh played with the ball and returned 3 for 24 from his four overs. Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett was left with a consolation unbeaten 97, Zimbabwe’s highest individual score in T20 World Cup history, as his side bowed out of semi-final contention despite a promising start.“Credit goes to them too. But from a bowling point of view, we could have been a bit smarter with certain options at key moments. In situations like this, we have to be bold in our decisions. There is no option but to go the positive way. Once we get to Kolkata, we will sit down and plan this game properly. For now, it’s about taking a day off, travelling,” concluded Surya.
