India and Sanju must shake off self-doubt as they face fearless Zimbabwe in Chennai

Until the T20 World Cup, a match against Zimbabwe was not a fearsome proposition for Team India. In their last bilateral meeting in July 2024, India won 4-1 with a B team. Yet, on the eve of their Super Eights match in Chennai, there is a degree of fear. It may not be the opposition that they dread, but the demons within.

Incredibly, self-doubt has crept into the psyche of Indian cricket not so much because of Zimbabwe's exploits in the tournament, but because of the Men in Blue's humbling at the hands of their African cousins, South Africa.

The 76-run defeat to the Proteas in their Super Eights opener was a one-off setback; two, if you extrapolate the T20 matches list to 2024, because Team India have thrived in the last two years. The occasion is also partly responsible for the shift in narrative, as India must win the match to stay alive in the tournament.

The heavy loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad exposed the frailties of Gautam Gambhir's men, especially in the top order.

Two of the three designated openers have failed miserably, with Sanju Samson making 22 in a rare start against Namibia and Abhishek Sharma scoring three ducks in a row and scoring 16 in a fourth try. Ishan Kishan scored a pair of fifties against Namibia and Pakistan and has been the in-form batter, but Tilak Varma has not regained his Asia Cup form and was last seen going at a run-a-ball.

Sanju is likely to return, at least going by the minutes he got in the nets. India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dropped a hint. "There can be changes, yes. And obviously, it goes without saying that we discussed (bringing in Sanju), because there are two lefty openers, number three is left-handed, and the opposition's bowling off-spin," Kotak said in the pre-match press conference.

If he plays, Sanju can also make an early impression on the Chennai Super Kings fans as he recently joined the IPL franchise. But if Sanju plays alongside Abhishek and Ishan, Tilak might slip down the order, below skipper Suryakumar Yadav. Regardless of the shuffle, should Sidandar Raza's bowling unit, spearheaded by the blessed Blessing Muzarabani, fetch some wickets in the powerplay, there could be trouble. After all, they defeated Australia and Sri Lanka, and have nothing to lose.

India are still the outright favourites, credit to a superior bowling unit that is spoilt for choice. Axar Patel should definitely play and Kuldeep Yadav could get a look in as well because Chepauk has traditionally favoured spinners (though the recent results show a different trend).