“Comes down to the art of the captain…” - Ricky Ponting shares the best advice for Team India ahead of Zimbabwe clash

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has stated that the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, should focus more on having their best playing XI on the field rather than trying to get the match-ups correct in the game against Zimbabwe on Thursday, February 26, in Chennai.

Advertisment

Notably, Team India suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa in their initial Super8 game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22. There has been a lot of debate around Axar Patel’s exclusion from the playing XI.

"Listening to the commentary, the reason Axar didn't play (against South Africa) is because of the left-handers in the opposition side. But there's still some right-handers there. It just comes down to the art of the captain of being able to use Axar at the right time," Ponting said on the latest episode of The ICC Review.

"I would be going back to the basics. I'd be just looking at their lineup. Who's our best XI for the conditions in Chennai? If that has Axar Patel in it, great. If it has Kuldeep Yadav in it, that's the other one that I'd be thinking about bringing back because it doesn't matter with him if it's left-hand or right-hand. He can bowl wrong ones and spin the ball away from the left-hand outside edge of both those batters," he observed.

Shifting our focus to the details of the game between India and South Africa, the latter batted first after winning the toss, posting a dominating total of 187/7 in 20 overs, thanks to Dewald Brevis (45), David Miller (63) and Tristan Stubbs (44*). Jasprit Bumrah scalped a three-wicket haul.

In the second innings, Indian batters failed to create an impact as they got bundled out for 111 runs in 18.5 overs, losing the game by 76 runs. Marco Jansen scalped four wickets while Keshav Maharaj picked up three wickets in India’s chase.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!

Advertisment