Srikkanth thinks Zimbabwe is a bigger threat to India than the West Indies

The former India legend warned that the shifting motivations of the remaining teams could make the situation even more precarious for Suryakumar Yadav and Co.

India’s entry to the semi-finalshas hit a serious roadblock after the heavy defeat to South Africa in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup. The 76-run loss has wrecked India’s 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. For staying in contention, India must win their remaining two matches. Even that may not be enough unless South Africa manages to overpower the West Indies. 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 KrishnamachariSrikkanth shared his candid assessment of the semi-final race.

Srikkanth assesses India’s assessment of the semi-final race.

The former India legend shared his candid assessment of the semi-final race, noting that the equation has tilted in the West Indies’ favour, while also warning that Zimbabwe could pose a serious challenge to India on the Chennai surface. On his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said, “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.” 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 the 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. He added, “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 the West Indies. Though South Africa also has to beat Zimbabwe, then.”

Srikkant also spoke 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. He added, “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 IshanKishan played that shot and got out. The mental pressure made them slog and get out.”