With India gearing up for a must-win ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash against Zimbabwe in Chennai, former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has urged the team to return to their fearless, attacking approach if they are to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The MA Chidambaram Stadium is set for a high-pressure evening, with India not only needing victory but also a sizeable margin to boost their net run-rate.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Chopra analysed India’s qualification scenario and pointed out the challenges ahead.
On India’s road to the semi-finals, he said, “The tricky problem for India is they need to win both of their remaining Super Eight matches, and they will also be hoping that South Africa win their games against West Indies and Zimbabwe. But if that does not happen, then the net run-rate comes into play.”
Chopra emphasised that if qualification comes down to net run-rate, India must rediscover their attacking mindset. He believes captain Suryakumar Yadav has a key role to play in that shift.
“That is when India will need to bring out their explosive brand of cricket. Suryakumar Yadav is the man for that role. He needs to bat at three and bat with freedom. Against South Africa, I felt he was too slow.
By the time he got out, the mountain was too high for others to climb,” he said.
Chopra also raised concerns about India’s current batting pattern, suggesting it lacks balance and clarity.
“India have batters at the top who go hammer and tongs from ball one and lose their wicket. That puts the team in tricky situations. Then the batters who come in after are too cautious and conservative. They start eating deliveries regardless of the pitch, conditions or the bowler. They play the situation completely and fall behind in the game.”
He further pointed out that this measured approach is a departure from the fearless cricket India have showcased in recent years.
“This is not the brand of cricket India have played in the last two years. They took pride in saying we hammer teams and score 250, 260 or 270. But Suryakumar Yadav and his men have perhaps forgotten that formula. The template now is to score just 180-190. That is good enough on some days, but good teams chase those totals easily. India need to bring back their aggressive brand of cricket. If they don’t, their hopes of making the semi-finals could be in trouble,” he concluded.
With their campaign hanging in the balance, India must deliver a commanding performance against Zimbabwe to stay in contention for a semi-final spot.
