Having suffered a tough defeat at the hands of South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, is set to face Zimbabwe. It is a crucial Super 8 clash for the hosts as they look to bounce back in their title defence run. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe too suffered its first defeat of the tournament, losing to the West Indies by a whopping 107 runs.
India would bank on their positive record against Zimbabwe in T20Is. The ‘Men in Blue’ have faced Zimbabwe 13 times in the shortest format and emerged victorious on 10 occasions. However, it would be the first time that these two sides meet in India.
India’s record against Zimbabwe in T20Is
In 13 games, India has played against Zimbabwe, and they have been on the winning side 10 times. The first time these two sides met was in 2010 for a two-match series in the African country. India, led by Suresh Raina, emerged victorious with the skipper being named the player of the series.
| Head-To-Head | India | Zimbabwe |
| Wins | 10 | 3 |
| Losses | 3 | 10 |
| At Home (Wins) | 0 | 3 |
| Away from home (Wins) | 9 | 0 |
| At Neutral Venue (Wins) | 1 | 0 |
The two sides have faced each other once in the T20 World Cup. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, India and Zimbabwe locked horns at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The current Indian skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, top-scored with an unbeaten knock, scoring 61 runs off 25 balls. He was also named the Player of the Match as India went on to win the match by 71 runs.
Why is the India vs Zimbabwe clash crucial?
With both teams coming into this game after suffering defeats in their previous games, it is a virtual knockout for both sides. For the defending champions, a win against Zimbabwe might not be enough to book a spot in the semi-finals, as they would need to defeat the West Indies on Sunday and hope South Africa wins against the West Indies as well. The two teams will clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on the 26th of February.
