It was carnage at Chepauk as defending champions India registered a thumping 72-run win over Zimbabwe in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight clash on Thursday.
Stung by the defeat to South Africa in the previous match, the defending champions came out all guns blazing and registered the highest total of this edition, and the second highest in T20 World Cup history. Half-centuries by Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya helped India leapfrog the 254 for 6 posted by West Indies three nights ago against Zimbabwe and ended only four short of Sri Lanka’s all-time high of 260 in 2007.
During the innings of 256 for four, India also struck 17 sixes, another high in T20 World Cups for the Men in Blue. They also bludgeoned 17 fours, notching a total of 170 runs in boundaries.
Despite a valiant 97 not out by Brian Bennett, India held Zimbabwe to 184 for 6. It spelled end of the road for Zimbabwe, who had made a T20 World Cup breakthrough by beating Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights for the very first time.
While South Africa have already booked their final four spot, the India vs West Indies clash on Sunday is now essentially a knockout, with the winner progressing in the tournament.
“We wanted to leave everything behind, the last game, the group stage. There were contributions from all batters and that was heartening to see. We could have been been more clinical with the ball but a win is a win. We need to tighten out screws ahead of the WI game. Don’t want to take any credit away from Zimbabwe batters. The way they batted was very smart. From the bowling point of view, we could have been smarter. When we are in such situations, we need to be courageous. When we reach Kolkata we will think of the plans,” said India skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Samson sets the tone, Abhishek back in form
After winning the toss, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza put India into bat. There was a change at the top of the order, as Sanju Samson returned to the playing XI and opened the innings with Sharma. And he was straight into action, belting the second ball of the innings for a six.
Though Samson fell in the fourth over, he set the tone for the Indian innings as they motored to 80/1 in powerplay. Even after the fielding restrictions were off, India continued to press on. Sharma, who struggled for form earlier in the tournament, laid down the marker with his maiden T20I fifty. He brought up his half-century in 26 balls and finished with 55 off 30, with the help of four fours and four sixes.
The Zimbabwe bowlers were completely at sea, as India went searching for the big runs. Their sloppy fielding, they dropped at least two regulation catches, didn’t help either.
Every Indian batter contributed to the cause as India breezed past the markers, 150 in the 13th over and 200 in the 17th and 250 in the last over. Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma (44 not out) provided the final flourish, knocking off 84 runs in just 31 balls for the unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership. Pandya struck two sixes off the last two balls to bring up his 50 in 23 balls and take India to that record high.
Pretty happy, says Hardik
“Pretty happy. It sounds like a 23-ball fifty but I had to reassess. I was trying too hard but at the middle I realised I was trying to hit the ball too hard. Then I realized I could time the ball as well. So, I did that. We were all were keeping an eye on the other game. Now it’s about keeping our skillset. Now we just want to put our best foot forward. Once that (SA-WI) was over, we focused on this game,” said Hardik, who was named the Player of the Match.
Three nights ago, when West Indies unleashed their batting fury, Zimbabwe looked shell-shocked. Though the African side managed the chase much better against India, they didn’t anywhere close to the target. They made a slow but steady start, scoring 44 for 0 in powerplay. Axar Patel marked his return to the playing XI by dismissing opener Tadiwanashe Marumani off his second ball to give India the breakthrough.
One of the finds of the tournament, Bennett waged a lone battle with another half-century. He struck a six against Jasprit Bumrah to bring up his 50 in 36 balls. Apart from Raza (31), there was little support for Bennett but he ended up as the highest scorer in the match, with an unbeaten 97 off 59 balls. In an innings that encapsulated his World Cup adventure, the right-handed batter hit eight fours and six sixes and is currently the second-highest scorer in this edition so far.
Zimbabwe’s carefully mounted World Cup challenge unravelled in the Super Eights. They will take on South Africa in their final match on Sunday with only pride to play for.
Arshdeep bags 3 for India
For India, it was pacer Arshdeep Singh who finished with the best figures, claiming 3 for 24 in four overs on a track that didn’t offer a lot of help to bowlers.
“Last game it was 250 and there was rush in the batting line-up. Today, we were composed in the first six overs and we gave ourselves a chance. We could have had our defensive plans in place a little better. Once the train goes on, it is hard to stop. We could have restricted them to 210-220 and then you never know. Bowling and fielding we could have done better. The last game taught us how to go about chasing a big total. Not to make an excuse but there are a lot of youngsters in the team, who are playing their first WC, playing in India for the first time. What I am looking forward is a better performance in the field and the batting can be like this. One lax and the game runs away from you,” said Raza.
Brief scores: India 256 for four in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 24, Abhishek Sharma 55, Ishan Kishan 38, Suryakumar Yadav 33, Hardik Pandya 50 not out, Tilak Varma 44 not out) beat Zimbabwe 184 for six in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 97 not out, Sikandar Raza 31; Arshdeep Singh 3/24).
