Kumble: West Indies Show Tournament Mettle in Crushing Win Over Zimbabwe

Speaking on JioHotstar, Anil Kumble spoke about the approach the Windies took against the opposition, while also explaining India's chances ahead of the tournament.

Weighing in on the West Indies' performance, Kumble said, "West Indies understand what it takes to win at this stage of the tournament. The left-arm spinners were outstanding. Gudakesh Motie bowled brilliantly. In this format, finger spinners often try to stay away from the batter's hitting arc, but Motie and Akeal Hosein were different."

Shimron Hetmyer came to bat for the Windies in the powerplay and made 85 runs off 34 balls with the help of seven sixes and as many fours. His destructive knock helped the two-time champions set a daunting target of 255 runs for the African nation.

Speaking about Hetmyer, Kumble said, "He has long been a finisher and knows how to clear the boundaries. He has the power and the temperament. What stands out is that he doesn't settle for quick cameos of 20 or 30. He converts them into substantial scores. Had he fallen for 30, perhaps West Indies wouldn't have reached 254, and Zimbabwe might have found a way back."

Former Windies captain, Rovman Powell, took his time at the start of his innings but shifted gears after the dismissal of Hetmyer and made 59 runs off 35 balls with the help of four sixes and as many fours. His power-hitting shattered the confidence of Zimbabwe bowlers.

"Powell is again a proven power-hitter. He took his time initially; his first 10 runs came off 10 balls, but once he settled, he was unstoppable. He strikes the ball extremely hard. Even when it goes straight to a fielder, it's not easy to stop," said Kumble.

India has lost their opening Super Eight fixture against South Africa and now need to win their next two matches with a big margin to stay alive in the race for the semi-finals. The defending champions can't afford any more defeats in the tournament.

On the road ahead for India in the tournament, Kumble said, "Every game counts at this stage. India suffered a significant loss to South Africa, and it wasn't just about losing, but the manner of that defeat. The key question now is whether they can bounce back strongly against Zimbabwe. India needs to win convincingly, much like West Indies did against Zimbabwe, to improve their net run-rate. After that, they must beat West Indies as well. The primary focus should be on winning both matches. The net run-rate will naturally improve if they are in control of the game."

India will take on Zimbabwe in their next group-stage fixture at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

- ANI