India coach hints at possible changes in playing XI for Zimbabwe game, says 'performances are going to talk'
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has indicated to multiple changes to the playing XI for the match against Zimbabwe. He mentioned that Axar Patel and Sanju Samson's inclusion will be considered as India play a must-win game in Chennai.
After a humiliating 76-run defeat to South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate shared that they could tweak the playing XI in the must-win clash against Zimbabwe in Chennai. He addressed that Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma haven’t quite found their rhythm and it could force the team management to bring in Sanju Samson in the mix.
The former Netherlands cricketer also mentioned that the performance in the practice sessions won’t be considered again for team selection. He added that the time has come to pull up the socks and prepare well for the Zimbabwe game.
“We're at the phase now where it's only performances that are going to talk. There's no point talking about rhythm in nets or how guys are feeling or what they're not feeling. It's time to pull our sleeves up and get performance out of all the players and like I just said there, that's the challenge for the staff, along with the players now, to regroup and put in a big effort leading up to the next game against Zimbabwe,” ten Doeschate said in the post-match press conference.
Team contemplating Sanju’s inclusion
Samson struggled in the five-match series against New Zealand, resulting in the team management picking Ishan Kishan over him in the playing XI. However, with two left-handed batters up top, India have struggled as the off-spinners of the opponent team have dominated them so far in the T20 World Cup. To counter that in the next match, ten Doeschate noted that Samson could be considered but they haven’t decided yet.
“Abhi is obviously a point of difference and so is Ishan now that he's come into the team. So, if those guys bat for six overs, the score is going to be 70 plus. So, can we get them to temper the way they're playing and, be a little bit smarter about their approach? Or do we just let them go on the way they are? Or do we bring in a right-hand at the top as well and make a change somewhere in the middle? For me, those are the three options we have. And we'll be deliberating that in the next few days and putting our best 11,” ten Doeschate said.
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