'Our video analyst prepared a slide': Suryakumar Yadav reveals secret behind India's win vs Zimbabwe

Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium – India kept their T20 World Cup semifinal dream intact with a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in a must-win Super Eights encounter, and the catalyst for the performance was a simple slide deck prepared by the team’s video analyst.

Speaking after the defending champions had posted 256 for four and then restricted Zimbabwe to 184 for six, stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav said the squad entered the contest with crystal-clear minds after reviewing a year’s worth of highlights compiled by the back-room staff.

“We didn’t think too much about what we did in the league stage or in the last game in Ahmedabad,” Suryakumar explained. “Our video analyst had prepared a slide for all the batters and bowlers, highlighting what we’ve done well over the past year. We looked at that, took a lot of positivity from it, and came here with clarity.”

The numbers backed up the optimism. Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a 55 at the top, while Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 50 propelled India past the 250-mark for only the second time in their T20 World Cup history. Contributions came right down to No. 7, ensuring Zimbabwe’s bowlers had no respite on a true Chennai surface.

Zimbabwe, who had already shocked Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights, briefly threatened through Brian Bennett’s record-breaking, unbeaten 97 – the highest individual score by a Zimbabwean in the tournament’s history – but the asking rate always hovered beyond reach. Arshdeep Singh cashed in with three for 24, and the Africans finished on 184 for six, formally ending their semifinal hopes.

India’s win, coupled with South Africa’s nine-wicket demolition of the West Indies, confirmed the Proteas’ place in the last four and set up a winner-takes-all showdown for Rohit Sharma’s men against the Caribbean side in Kolkata on Sunday.

Suryakumar admitted the bowling unit could still sharpen its execution. “We could have been a little smarter with certain options at key moments,” he said. “In situations like this, we need to be courageous with our decisions. There’s no option other than taking the positive route.”

For the moment, India will savour a crucial boost to their net run rate and the knowledge that a single victory now stands between them and a semifinal berth. The squad will travel east on a short turnaround, but the memory of a well-timed slide show – and the freedom it inspired – is sure to travel with them.