Australia Great Ricky Ponting Weighs In On India's Playing XI Ahead Of Super 8 Clash Against Zimbabwe In T20 World Cup

India is set to face Zimbabwe for their second Super 8 clash in the T20 World Cup on February 26, 2026, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The upcoming match is crucial for the hosts, as even a narrow win might hamper India's chances of qualifying for the T20 World Cup semifinals.

Following India's heavy 76-run defeat by South Africa in their Super 8 opening match, Australian veteran player Ricky Ponting offered some advice to head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding the playing XI for their upcoming match. The former Australia star urged the Indian management not to overthink things and to simplify their approach.

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Ricky Ponting Urges India Management To Include Axar Patel

India's decision to drop vice-captain Axar Patel and replace him with Washington Sundar in the match against South Africa was heavily criticised and questioned by cricket pundits and netizens alike. Ricky Pointing pointed out that the team balance should take priority over tactical match-up theories.

While speaking on The ICC Review, Ricky Ponting shared, "Listening to the commentary, the reason Axar didn’t play (against South Africa) is because of the left handers in the opposition side. But there's still some right handers there. It just comes down to the art of the captain of being able to use Axar at the right time."

Ponting further added, "I would be going back to the basics. I'd be just looking at their lineup. Who's our best XI for the conditions in Chennai? If that has Axar Patel in it, great. If it has Kuldeep Yadav in it, that's the other one that I'd be thinking about bringing back because it doesn't matter with him if it's left-hand or right-hand. He can bowl wrong ones and spin the ball away from the left-hand outside edge of both those batters."

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India To Face Zimbabwe

India will lock horns with Zimbabwe on February 26, 2026, in Chennai for their second T20 World Cup Super 8 match, before concluding the Super 8 stage with a match against West Indies on March 1, 2026.