Zimbabwe coach Justin Sammons admitted that the team faced a steep learning curve in Indian conditions after their 107-run loss to the West Indies in the Super 8 clash in Mumbai on Monday, pointing out that most of the squad had little prior experience playing in India.
Sammons said that only three members of Zimbabwe’s playing XI had previously featured in India, making the adjustment particularly challenging.
“There’s massive learnings for us,” Sammons said at the post-match presentation. “If we look at it, probably only three of our starting XI have played in India before. For eight players, it’s the first time. The conditions are completely different, the grounds are smaller, and the ball comes on better. We’ll take those learnings and move forward.”
Zimbabwe had spent the earlier part of the tournament in Sri Lanka and are also accustomed to larger venues such as Harare, something Sammons believes influenced how the match unfolded.
“A couple of mishits here can go for six, whereas in Sri Lanka they might be caught. Harare is also a really big ground, so this is something the group will learn from,” he said.
Looking ahead to their next game against India in Chennai, Sammons felt the slightly bigger dimensions there could help, though he expects another aggressive approach from their opponents.
“We know India are going to come out in a similar way to West Indies – they won’t hold back. We need to be smarter in how we respond under pressure. At times we were a bit predictable, and that’s something we can improve on.”
Sammons also singled out fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani for praise, highlighting his impact in the powerplay and his growing confidence after returning from injury.
“He’s been brilliant for us. His height is a huge strength, and he’s controlled his line and length very well,” Sammons said, adding that a dropped catch off Muzarabani early in the innings proved costly. “If that chance had been taken, the game might have looked very different.”
Despite the result, Sammons pointed to positives, particularly Brad Evans’ counterattacking batting late in the innings. He said performances like that can boost confidence across the squad as Zimbabwe continue their Super 8 campaign.
“No one really gave us a chance to be here,” Sammons said. “So we’ve got to take the small wins, enjoy the experience and keep believing we can compete.”
