Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar hailed the tactical switch that paired a right-left opening combination for the India national cricket team in their Super 8 win over the Zimbabwe national cricket team at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, calling it a pivotal move that blunted the visitors’ powerplay plans in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Manjrekar’s core point was simple: introducing a right-hander at the top changed the bowling calculus. “If India had gone in with two left-handers, Raza would have been able to bring himself on with off-spin in the powerplay,” he explained, referring to skipper Sikandar Raza. “Because Sanju Samson was there, that option was taken away, and the spinners had to be delayed.”
The strategy paid immediate dividends. Abhishek Sharma (55) and Sanju Samson (24) built a breezy 48-run opening stand, giving India the platform to post a tournament-leading 256/4 — a total that put Zimbabwe firmly on the back foot.
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Manjrekar also backed India’s decision to reconfigure the middle order, specifically pushing Tilak Varma down the order. “Tilak is better when he comes in lower; there’s less pressure and he can play freely,” he said, praising the left-hander’s match-winning 44* off 16.
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That move, Manjrekar argued, also cleared a slot for hard-hitting all-rounders higher up, allowing players like Hardik Pandya to maximise impact in the late overs. Contributions from Ishan Kishan (38) and Suryakumar Yadav (33) kept the scoring rate healthy, before Tilak and Hardik finished with a brutal 84-run unbroken stand.
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Manjrekar’s analysis highlights a crucial lesson for tournament cricket: small tactical tweaks — a left-right split at the top, flexible batting slots — can neutralise opponent plans and unleash a team’s natural attacking instincts. For India, the combination worked beautifully in Chennai, and the challenge now is to replicate that balance under bigger pressure moments in the Super 8s.
