India will next face Zimbabwe in Super 8s on February 26 in Chennai.
Ahead of the must-win Super 8s game against Zimbabwe, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has warned Team India captain Gautam Gambhir not to try to nail every matchup and overcomplicate things. India and Zimbabwe will clash in Chennai on February 26 in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Both teams have lost their first Super 8s stage games by big margins, denting their net run rate as well. For India, it is a must-win game to ensure they stay alive in the race for the semis.
The Men in Blue team management has been slammed for selection policies, especially after Gambhir-led management dropped Axar Patel from the crucial match against South Africa in favor of Washington Sundar, keeping in mind the left-handers in the Proteas lineup.
Ponting asked Gambhir to stop stressing over matchups and instead trust his core group by selecting and backing the best XI for the conditions. Ponting asked Gambhir to stop stressing over matchups and instead trust his core group by selecting and backing the best XI for the conditions.
Sundar made 11 runs and bowled two overs for 17 runs, having no effect on the game whatsoever, while Axar, who is also India’s vice-captain, cooled his heels in the dugout.
Although team management later regarded it as a tactical choice, the Australian great cautioned Gambhir not to overthink such decisions, emphasizing that finer nuances rarely influence the outcome of a World Cup.
“I heard a lot of commentary last night suggesting Axar hasn’t played because of the left-handers in the opposition. That kind of thinking can sometimes have a negative impact. There are still right-handers in the side, and it ultimately comes down to the captain’s skill in using his bowlers at the right time.
There’s enough class and quality in this Indian team that they don’t need to overthink every selection. One decision rarely wins you a game or a tournament. It’s very uncommon that you make one change and that player alone turns everything around,” Ponting said on the ICC Review show.
Ponting suggested a few changes in the India XI for the Zimbabwe game. He told Gambhir to bring back Axar and also include Kuldeep Yadav in the XI, since the game will be played in Chennai. He stated that an extra spinner might weaken the batting, but argued that if the top seven cannot deliver, an eighth batter is unlikely to make a decisive difference.
“I’d go back to basics. Look at the conditions in Chennai and ask: who are our best XI here? If that includes Axar Patel, great. If it includes Kuldeep Yadav, I’d strongly consider him too. With Kuldeep, it doesn’t matter whether the batters are left- or right-handed—he can bowl the wrong’un and spin it away from both. Yes, it may slightly weaken the batting, but if seven batters can’t get the job done in T20 cricket, it’s rare that an eighth will suddenly make the difference. I wouldn’t be panicking at all. I’d keep the energy light around the group and back every player selected to be good enough to win the next game,” Ponting added.