T20 World Cup 2026: Sanju Samson set to feature in the IND vs ZIM match?
February 26th will be a crucial day for the Indian team, as it will decide whether the defending champions reach the semi-finals or their dream of repeating history is shattered. On this day, India will face Zimbabwe at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. A defeat in this two-or-die match means India will be eliminated from the tournament.
After the defeat against South Africa, the Indian team will have to win this match at any cost to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive. However, the Indian team is working hard for the match. According to some reports, there could be some major changes to Team India. It is believed that Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav could be included in the playing XI. The addition of these players to the team could also lead to changes in the batting order.
Several reports suggest that Sanju Samson will open with Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma will not play this match. However, a report also circulated that Rinku Singh returned home due to a family emergency, which is why he might miss the match against Zimbabwe.
In such a situation, Abhishek will get another chance in the India playing XI. Now, it is speculated that Abhishek Sharma will open with Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan will bat at 3, or maybe Sanju Samson will feature at 3. Tilak Varma might be dropped or play at 5. Abhishek and Tilak have been continuously struggling in this World Cup. Abhishek Sharma scored 15 runs in 4 matches, including 3 consecutive ducks. On the other hand, Tilak Varma scored 107 runs in 5 matches with an average of 21.40.
In addition to their own match, the Indian team will need to keep an eye on the SA vs. WI match, which will be held ahead of the India vs Zimbabwe match. If the West Indies wins this match, Team India will need to win by a large margin. In such a situation, Sanju's aggressive approach could return him to the playing XI. If SA defeats WI, Team India's batting combination will be worth watching.
Several fans are demanding that Sanju Samson feature against Zimbabwe in a must-win match. He has played only 1 match against Namibia, where he scored 22 runs in just 8 balls. In that match, Abhishek Sharma missed due to a stomach infection. The Indian team management can also think of playing Ishan Kishan at number 3, but Ishan is currently the leading run scorer for Team India, and the management will hardly bother with his position.
