India Beat Zimbabwe, Stay Alive in T20 World Cup Race
Kalyani Mandle | PR Desk
Mumbai : At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the India national cricket team secured a dominant 72-run win over the Zimbabwe national cricket team in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The result keeps India’s semi-final hopes alive. Their qualification now depends on winning their final Super 8 match against the West Indies. A defeat there would end their campaign.
India Produce One of the Biggest Totals
Batting first, India piled up a massive 256 for 4, registering one of the highest scores in T20 World Cup history.
Abhishek Sharma led the early charge with his maiden World Cup fifty, scoring 55 from 30 balls.
Opening partner Sanju Samson added a brisk 24, helping India post their best opening stand of the tournament.
In the middle overs, Ishan Kishan made 38 while Suryakumar Yadav contributed 33 to maintain the momentum.
The innings accelerated sharply when Hardik Pandya smashed a rapid 55 from just 23 deliveries.
At the death, Tilak Varma provided a fearless finish, blasting 44 off 16 balls to push India past the 250 mark.
For Zimbabwe, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tinotenda Maposa, and Sikandar Raza claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a huge 257, Zimbabwe never looked on course for victory but avoided a collapse.
Brian Bennett played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 97 from 59 balls, keeping his side competitive till the end.
Sikandar Raza chipped in with 31 as Zimbabwe finished on 184 for 6 in their 20 overs.
India’s bowling was led by Arshdeep Singh, who took three wickets.
Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube picked up one wicket each.
Hardik Pandya was named Player of the Match for his explosive innings that shifted the momentum decisively in India’s favour.
This victory gives India crucial momentum ahead of their must-win clash with the West Indies.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, have been eliminated from the tournament despite showing resilience in the Super 8 stage.
