Sikandar Raza Set to Play Against India Despite Finger Injury

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza is expected to play against India despite a finger injury, boosting Zimbabwe’s hopes as they target another upset in the T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe captain and all-rounder Sikandar Raza picked up a finger injury while bowling during the Super 8 match against West Indies in Mumbai on Monday. The injury raised doubts about his availability for the must-win game against India in Chennai on Thursday.

Zimbabwe all-rounder Ryan Burl has now provided clarity before the match. Speaking at the pre-match press interaction on Wednesday, he confirmed Raza remains ready to play at Chepauk.

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“Sikandar Raza is 100% playing. Good luck telling him that he’s not going to play against India. Yeah, he’s going to be playing,” Burl said.

Semi-final Spot Raises Pressure for Both Teams

Burl then noted that Zimbabwe views Thursday’s match with India as decisive for both teams, with a T20 World Cup semi-final place at stake. He noted that the pressure is equal, as a victory remains essential. Burl also added that Zimbabwe rarely face India and the squad is eager for the challenge.

“It is a must-win match for us (Zimbabwe). It’s also a must-win game for India. There’s obviously a lot at stake here. Being a World Cup game, and if we are to progress to the semi-finals, we both want to look at winning tomorrow’s game. So I think we are both excited. Obviously, we don’t get to play India a lot, so it’s something that we really have been looking forward to, and we will grab the opportunity with both hands,” Ryan Burl said.

“Playing India in India is a challenge in itself. They obviously got a home ground advantage, but there is the added pressure of both teams needing to win tomorrow’s game. Pressure does funny things to teams. And obviously it being a World Cup, there’s that added pressure as well. So yeah, we’ve obviously got our processes that we want to go through. And hopefully we can execute those tomorrow,” he concluded.

Zimbabwe has played only one T20I in India, suffering a 107-run defeat to West Indies in that match.