The members of the Indian cricket team arrived in Chennai on Monday, three days before they are scheduled to take on Zimbabwe in a crucial T20 World Cup 2026 match.
India suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa in their first Super 8 Group 1 match in Ahmedabad on Sunday, and are in need of huge victories against Zimbabwe and West Indies. The Men in Blue currently have a Net Run Rate (NRR) of -3.800.
Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Sharma involved in intense discussion
In a video that has gone viral, India head coach Gautam Gambhir is seen having a chat with opener Abhishek Sharma inside the team bus. What was being discussed between the two is unclear as there was background music in the video.
Abhishek Sharma, who is known for his aggressive knocks, has been a shadow of himself in this T20 World Cup.
He registered three consecutive ducks (vs the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands), and followed it up with a knock of 15 runs from 12 balls against South Africa.
The Punjab batter hit two fours and one six against the Proteas, but was unable to convert his start into a big knock. He had missed the match against Namibia due to a stomach bug.
Prior to the T20 World Cup, the 25-year-old enjoyed quite a good run in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
He was the third highest run-getter in that series, aggregating 182 runs from five matches at a strike-rate of 249.31. He also scored two half-centuries in that series.
Coming to the India vs South Africa match, the Men in Blue were asked to field first. South Africa managed to post a total of just 41/3 in the powerplay phase, but David Miller played a knock of 63 runs from 35 balls.
He was supported by Dewald Brevis (45) and Tristan Stubbs (44*) as South Africa posted 187/7. In reply, India were bundled out for 111 in 18.5 overs, with Shivam Dube (42) being their top scorer.
India had qualified for the Super 8 stage after topping Group A with eight points from four matches. After their match against Zimbabwe in Chennai on 26 February, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will travel to Kolkata to face West Indies on 1 March.
India are the defending champions of the T20 World Cup, having beaten South Africa by seven runs in the final in Barbados two years ago.
