Zimbabwe's Ryan Burl Calls India Clash a Must-Win for Both Teams

Zimbabwe suffered a thrashing loss in their opening Super Eight fixture against the West Indies. Zimbabwe lost the one-sided fixture at the Wankhede by 107 while chasing a monstrous target of 255.

With both teams fighting to keep their semi-final hopes alive, Burl admitted that the contest carries immense significance for Zimbabwe as well as India.

India, too, are under pressure after the defending champions suffered a humiliating 76-run loss in the Super Eight phase opener, which has put the defending champions in a tricky phase.

"It is a must-win match for us; 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," Burl said during the pre-match press conference.

When asked about the biggest hurdle of playing India in India on a familiar surface, Burl acknowledged the difficulty but also pointed to the pressure factor that could influence both sides.

"I mean, just like you said, playing India in India is a challenge in itself. They obviously got a home ground advantage, but 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, I mean, we've obviously got the processes that we want to go through. And hopefully we can execute those tomorrow," Burl said.

India's batters have struggled to make an impact in the ongoing tournament so far, averaging just 20, the lowest among the teams that qualified for the Super 8s. The team has also recorded 11 ducks, highlighting the difficulties faced by the batting unit in converting starts into substantial scores.

Burl hinted that his side is well aware of India's recent struggles against finger spin but remained tight-lipped about their tactical approach. "First of all, thank you for acknowledging that Zimbabwe's got some quality spinners. That's obviously a nice compliment. No, obviously, we're doing a lot of our homework. It's not that we're doing more homework or less homework just because it's India. We take each game as it comes. I won't give away too many secrets about how we're going to approach tomorrow, but yeah, obviously, what you have said is spot on, and it is something that we are aware of."

- ANI