Varun Chakaravarthy during warm-up practice session on February 25, 2026, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match between India vs Zimbabwe at MAC Stadium, Chepauk.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Under a blazing sun, Varun Chakaravarthy wheeled his arm over. The local star had a tough outing against South Africa in Ahmedabad, and along with his India mates, wants to sparkle against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Super Eight Group 1 match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday (February 26, 2026).
Optional nets being the theme on Wednesday (February 25, 2026), Varun and batter Tilak Varma were among the few who turned up for some pre-game training. The Men in Blue are in a must-win situation while they also strive to live up to their defending champions tag.
India’s campaign has been a tale of a largely smooth cruise suddenly hitting a speed-breaker against the Proteas. Suryakumar Yadav’s men would rather see the latest stumble as an aberration while they seek a second wind in a championship veering towards its final stretch.
A top-order featuring Sanju Samson may happen as the quest for a good start continues within the Indian ranks. Abhishek Sharma’s sudden drought is bound to end at some point and the think-tank is publicly backing the opener. However, it is a fact that the host’s batters are yet to fire in unison.
There have been individual efforts but in the days ahead, more emphatic runs are needed. Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah has been incisive, and it remains to be seen if vice-captain Axar Patel will get back his berth. Against South Africa, India dished out its worst T20I performance in recent times, and a quick turnaround is needed.
Placed low in the Net Run Rate sweepstakes, India needs its batting and bowling arms to be in sync. A semifinal berth is up for grabs, but a lot will also hinge on the encounter involving the West Indies and South Africa on Thursday (February 26, 2026). If the Windies cause an upset, the curtains may well descend on Suryakumar’s troops.
Zimbabwe’s path too had triumph’s flavour punctured by the drubbing from the West Indies. Sikandar Raza’s men ambushed Australia and co-host Sri Lanka. Brian Bennett (180) has been among the runs and seamer Blessing Muzarabani has 11 wickets in his kitty.
India may remember the banana-peel effect that Zimbabwe dished out in the 1999 World Cup in England. Once a pedigreed unit that had Dave Houghton, and the Flower brothers, Andy and Grant, Zimbabwe is battling for relevance. India, though, would prefer the African nation being subservient.
Published – February 25, 2026 07:34 pm IST
