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T20 World Cup: Optimistic India seeks to qualify for semifinals against a lively Zimbabwe

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Exactly two weeks after India opened their Men’s T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan in a thrilling four-wicket victory at a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be back at the iconic venue to seal their semifinal berth in the final Group 2 match of Super 12s against a lively Zimbabwe on Sunday.

Though India have a 5-2 edge over Zimbabwe in T20Is with their last face-off happening in 2016, it will be the first time that these two teams will be meeting in a T20 World Cup game.

While India have survived scares against Pakistan and Bangladesh, they will be fully aware that Zimbabwe can’t be taken lightly. After all, the Chevrons, as Zimbabwe are called back home, did inflict an upset one-run win over Pakistan at Perth.

Known for going hard at power-play due to embracing ultra-attacking batting approach, India haven’t been able to get a solid opening partnership so far in the tournament. A look at their power-play scores suggests that the side have been suffering from opening blues: 31/3 against Pakistan (MCG), 32/1 against Netherlands (SCG), 33/2 against South Africa (Perth Stadium) and 37/1 against Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval. Their highest opening partnership is just 23, which doesn’t do justice to the prowess of Rohit and Rahul.

Though Rohit got a scratchy fifty against Netherlands and Rahul slammed a half-century against Bangladesh to end a string of low scores, India would like for the duo to have a good opening partnership before knockout arrive.

Virat Kohli has been explosive with the bat while Suryakumar Yadav has chipped in whenever India needed a move on in their momentum. India would also want for Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik to make a sizeable contribution with lower-order power-hitting.

The bowling has been great for India barring when South Africa chased down 134 or Litton Das was putting up a show with the bat in power-play. Young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is admirably leading the charge with the new ball as well as in the death overs, with the other bowlers chipping in. After being sloppy in the field against the Proteas, India were excellent in this department in a rain-hit match against Bangladesh.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be aiming to finish the tournament on a high which has been a memorable one for them. In all-rounder Sikandar Raza, they have a shining sensation who has been a force behind them for sparking performances in the tournament.

They would like for captain Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Wesley Madhevere and Ryan Burl to get big runs with the bat as well as look for improvements in fielding. In the bowling department, tall fast-bowler Blessing Muzarabani has been among the wickets with Raza, Tendai Chatara, Richard Ngarava and Luke Jongwe supporting him.

Zimbabwe have had inflicted an upset on India, when they won by three runs during the ODI World Cup in England in 1999. They would like to do an encore of it in 2022, but India have other ideas as they seek to seal semifinals spot.

Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami.

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (captain), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba and Sean Williams.

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PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone For Rs.451 Crore International Cricket Stadium In Varanasi 

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi on September 23rd (Saturday). The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sunil Gavaskar were also present for the ceremony. The Prime Minister also went on to present an Indian team jersey to Tendulkar.

The state government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has remitted a whopping ₹121 crore for the purpose of land acquisition, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shall put in ₹330 crore from their side for the iconic stadium’s construction. Some of the notable features that the stadium would have are trishul-shaped floodlights, drum-shaped media center, and crescent moon-shaped roof.

Meanwhile, the stone-laying ceremony witnessed some of the most top figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice-President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah. This will also be the third international stadium in Uttar Pradesh, with Kanpur and Lucknow already having one.

“The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium” – Narendra Modi

Speaking at the ceremony, Modi stated that sports are no longer prohibited by the elders, unlike before, as it acts as an incentive in several ways. He said, as quoted by The Indian Express:

“This stadium in the city of ‘Mahadev’ will be dedicated to ‘Mahadev’ himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. There was a time when parents used to scold their children for playing sports, but that is no longer true. When sports infrastructure is built in an area, it acts as an incentive not just for young sporting talent but also spurs the local economy.”

The stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 30000 and the construction of the same is likely to finish by December 2025.

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Legends Including Sachin Tendulkar And Ravi Shastri Leave For Varanasi For Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony For New International Stadium In UP

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Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, and Dilip Vengsarkar on Saturday headed for Varanasi for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Saturday afternoon.

The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spent Rs 121 crores on land acquisition for the construction of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi. Moreover, the BCCI will spend Rs 330 crores on the stadium’s construction.

The former India head coach Shashti on Saturday took to social media ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote in a post, “Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories.”

The thematic architecture of this stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva, with designs developed for crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. The stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
Veteran players like Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Shastri, Vengsarkar will be present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh to have its 3rd international stadium:

The event will also have the presence of key figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, the release stated. Furthermore, many veteran players are expected to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony. After Kanpur and Lucknow, this will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium. 

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IND vs AUS: ‘Always Well Looked After And Well Protected’ As David Warner Feeling ‘Great’ To Be Back In India

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The Australian cricket team has landed in India ahead of what will be their final dress rehearsal for the 2023 World Cup. Veteran Australian opener David Warner took to his official Instagram handle and expressed their gratefulness at landing in India. He also thanked GMR Aerocity for making their transit easy.

Warner will be one of the few players most in focus ahead of the ODI series, especially due to his inconsistency in the preceding rubber against South Africa. The left-hander made only two fifty-plus scores in five innings and threw away starts consistently.

The five-time World Champions will be keen to get back in the groove after missing an opportunity to win the series in South Africa despite a 2-0 lead. The middle-order batters, including Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis will be under pressure for consistently failing against the Proteas. With Steve Smith back in the side and Australia set to field a full-strength attack, they should be in a good stead.

The 36-year-old took to his Instagram handle and wrote:

“Always great to be welcomed back to india. We are always well looked after and well protected. Thanks so much. @gmraerocity always makes our transits so easy.”

Australia won the three-game ODI series in India earlier this year:

Pat Cummins and co. should draw confidence from their success against the Men in Blue in their backyard earlier this year under the captaincy of Steve Smith. Nevertheless, India are an in-form team, having won the Asia Cup 2023.

However, the men’s team’s chief selector Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first two ODIs. KL Rahul will captain India in Mohali and Indore,

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