India is all sorted out and would be going into its last match of the league stage against Zimbabwe, a team which is already out of the tournament, only to keep up what skipper MS Dhoni termed as the “forward shift we have got”, going into the quarterfinals.
It would have been a good juncture and position for Dhoni to try out the bench strength just in case some injury crops up in the knockouts. But known for his disdain to change winning combinations even in matches that may not be statistically significant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Stuart Binny, not to talk of Axar Patel, would be grouping up on the bench yet again. Asked in Hamilton if India could try its bench strength before the knock-out stage, Dhoni said: “We will have to take input from the physio if the situation demands some rest (for players). But if there are no injury concerns then we want to put the best 11 on the ground,” he had said at Hamilton.
The last time India played Zimbabwe in a World Cup was way back in 2003 at Harare and the host lost by 83 runs, Tendulkar making the highest score of 81. None of the team members from then is in this youthful team being led by Dhoni. India’s record against Zimbabwe is pretty sound with a 7-1 win loss ODI statistic on paper. All these numbers, however, fade into insignificance in the context of the sparkling new form India has hit in this World Cup — and in all departments be it bowling, fielding or batting.
With things working out perfectly, and Ireland being the only team till now to have soared to a 250-plus total against the Indian bowlers, Dhoni would be wanting his arms-men to do some practice bowling in the middle on real time. India faces a much revived Bangladesh in the quarter finals which would need a good, if not special, effort by the bowlers for Dhoni to start strategizing about the semi-final in Sydney against either Australia or Pakistan, depending on who manages to conquer Adelaide.
Zimbabwe, playing under Brendon Taylor, a captain who has decided to quit at the young age of 29 to be with Nottingham on contractual county obligations which he expects will lead him to the England team eventually, has had a torrid run in this tournament, winning against only a more hapless — and raw — UAE.
Other than its valiant bid to chase down a 300 plus total against Ireland and reaching just 5 runs short after a controversial catch my John Mooney, Zimbabwe has not been in the groove much, and that despite being under the active supervision of coach Dav Whatmore.
Zimbabwe has been through the rough and tumble of politics and international isolation under Robert Mugabe’s regime, slipping into too much anarchy to give quality time to cricket but Taylor says the journey has been eventful “sneaking in some great ones” down the line. At this World Cup, however, none of those ones were at hand and Zimbabwe flies out to Harare the next day irrespective of how it shows up against India.
On the Indian end, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli would be looking at Kapil Dev’s dream 175 in the 1983 World Cup match against Zimbabwe to quench their runs thirst on.
Under the circumstances, this one in Auckland, the biggest of the grounds in New Zealand, there might not be much happening in the middle that could go Zimbabwe’s way. The storm, however, is gathering up in the elements with Cyclone Pam all set to descend with thunder and rain on the venue a day after the match, if that is, it does not visit this City of Sails earlier than the designated Sunday.