Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has warned India against chasing a significant increase in net run rate ahead of their crucial Super 8s T20 World Cup 2026 match against Zimbabwe, stating that victory must remain the top focus in their quest to reach the semi-finals. This match will be played in Chennai on February 26.
Defending champions India know that back-to-back victories will keep their slim semi-final hopes alive after a 76-run loss to South Africa has left them in danger of being eliminated early.
"I really hope that approach of playing for net run rate does not come into play at the start of the game. The priority should be winning the game first. So, perform well and try to win. Only then should you think about the run rate. If you start thinking about chasing the net run rate of, say, the West Indies, that is almost impossible.
That would mean beating teams like Zimbabwe and the West Indies by a margin of 100 runs, which is not easy in T20 cricket. So, I sincerely hope that when the Indian team plays these next two matches, the main focus is simply on winning first," said Pathan on JioStar.
He also reflected on what went wrong for India in the heavy loss to South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
"Where do I even begin? As Surya said, India needs to bowl, bat, and field better to win the next game. We did not perform well in any of the three departments. What disappointed me the most was that once we had lost four or five wickets, no one tried to stitch together a partnership and take the score close to 150. There was not even one substantial partnership. Everyone wanted to play aggressively, and look at what has happened,” he added.
Pathan also stated that India's net run rate of -3.8 is a big setback, while lauding South Africa’s plot of bowling slower deliveries.
"We are now far behind on net run rate. The West Indies and South Africa have gone miles ahead. So, recovering that run rate is going to be very difficult. Apart from that, I was very vocal about the slower deliveries and variations of the South African bowlers. They used them very smartly, and we had no answer. Whenever they bowled a slower one to any batter, there was no ability to see off that delivery, rotate the strike, or look for a low-risk boundary option,” Pathan stated.
While there is chatter about Sanju Samson replacing Tilak Varma in India XI to break the monotony of the left-handers at the top, Irfan felt that Suryakumar Yadav should bat at no. 3 instead.
"I think Surya can bat at number three. If you look at it from the team's point of view, I completely understand the conservative approach from Surya, especially because Abhishek has been getting out early. In the last game, Ishan Kishan got out in the first over. You do not want to expose Suryakumar Yadav at number three when he is so effective in the middle overs, striking at 160.
If something goes wrong with the new ball, just one good delivery can get him out. So, I understand the thinking. However, they still need to consider batting Suryakumar Yadav at number three to break the monotony of having three left-handers at the top," he concluded.
(IANS inputs)
