We’ve Done Our Homework Against India: Ryan
India’s fragile top order has struggled against finger spinners in recent games, and Ryan said Zimbabwe would look to cash in on that.
Chennai: Having stunned Sri Lanka in Colombo, giantkillers Zimbabwe know what it takes to silence a boisterous home crowd. But they will have their task cut out when they take on India at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
Zimbabwe all-rounder Ryan Burl said there is a lot at stake, with the Super Eight clash being a must-win game for both teams. “Playing India at home is a challenge in itself. And when both teams need to win, pressure does funny things. We don’t get to play India often, so it’s something we’ve really been looking forward to. We’ll grab the opportunity with both hands,” he said.
India’s fragile top order has struggled against finger spinners in recent games, and Ryan said Zimbabwe would look to cash in on that.
“It’s something we’ve taken into account. We’ve done our homework, and it would be silly to ignore it going into tomorrow’s game. It’s also about the match-ups and how we can expose any small advantages that may be in our favour. It’s definitely something we have to consider,” he added.
Ryan also underlined Zimbabwe’s variety in bowling. “We’ve got a lot of options, and that’s one of the advantages of our line-up. We’ve got a left-arm seamer, a right-arm seamer, a couple of leg-spinners, an off-spinner and a left-arm orthodox option. So we do have quite a lot of depth. It will probably come down to the match-ups, depending on the batters at the crease, and the combinations we decide to go with.”
Ryan also confirmed that skipper Sikandar Raza, who took a knock to his fingers in the previous game, will lead the team tomorrow. “He is 100 per cent playing. Good luck telling him he’s not going to play against India,” he added.