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Srikkanth fires warning to Gambhir, Surya; says ‘Zimbabwe a bigger threat to India than West Indies': ‘They’ve no hope'
Srikkanth warned that the shifting motivations of the remaining teams could make the situation even more precarious for Suryakumar Yadav and Co.
India’s march to the semifinals has hit a serious roadblock after the heavy defeat to South Africa in the Super 8 stage of T20 World Cup. The 76-run drubbing not only hurt morale but also wrecked their net run rate, which has slipped to -3.800. As a result, the equation has become complicated, and progress is no longer solely dependent on their own performance.
To stay in contention, India must win their remaining two matches without fail. Even that may not be enough unless South Africa manage to overpower West Indies. With multiple scenarios now in play, India’s campaign hangs in the balance, and there is no margin left for another slip-up.
Meanwhile, the West Indies have already made things difficult for India by thrashing Zimbabwe by 107 runs on Monday night to move to the top of the table.
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth shared his candid assessment of the semifinal race, pointing out that the equation has tilted in West Indies’ favour while also warning that Zimbabwe could pose a serious challenge to India on the Chennai surface.
"West Indies are one step ahead of India now with the crushing win over Zimbabwe. Everything boils down to the South Africa-West Indies match for India. Yet, playing on the Chennai wicket, Zimbabwe is a bigger threat to India than the West Indies," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Continuing his blunt take on India’s qualification scenario, Srikkanth warned that the shifting motivations of the remaining teams could make the situation even more precarious for Suryakumar Yadav and Co. He stressed that while West Indies now have everything to play for, a fearless Zimbabwe side could prove equally dangerous, before laying out the consequences of a South Africa win over the Caribbean outfit.
"Because now the West Indies have hopes of qualification whereas Zimbabwe has no hope, so they'll play carefree cricket. It will be game over for India if South Africa beats West Indies. Though South Africa also has to beat Zimbabwe, then," he added.
“Mental pressure made India batters slog and get out”
He also talked about India’s batting after their disappointing outing against South Africa, suggesting the dismissals were more a result of scoreboard pressure than reckless intent. He explained how chasing a stiff target can weigh heavily on the top order, particularly the openers, before pointing to the mental strain that led to a string of ill-judged shots.
"It may look like the Indian batters slogged and got out against South Africa. But it's the pressure of chasing a big score like 187, and how the openers, especially, are under immense pressure in such a case. Under that pressure, sometimes you'll slog and get out. That's why Ishan Kishan played that shot and got out. The mental pressure made them slog and get out," he said.
