Chennai: With a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in their Super 8 clash at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, India kept their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final hopes firmly alive on Thursday.
India posted a mammoth 256/4 in their 20 overs—the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history, behind only Sri Lanka’s 260/6 against Kenya in 2007. This explosive innings came after Zimbabwe leaked over 250 runs for the second straight match in the Super 8 stage.
Opener Abhishek Sharma led the charge with a blistering 55 off 30 balls (4 fours, 4 sixes), while all-rounder Hardik Pandya smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 23 deliveries, sealing his half-century with a six off the final ball. Tilak Varma provided a fiery finish with an unbeaten 44 off 16 balls. Contributions from Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav also fueled the onslaught, with India hammering 17 sixes in total.
Chasing a daunting 257, Zimbabwe’s reply was powered by young opener Brian Bennett, who remained unbeaten on 97 off 59 balls (8 fours, 6 sixes)—his third half-century of the tournament. However, he received little support, with Sikandar Raza’s 31 off 21 the next-best effort as Zimbabwe finished at 184/6.
Arshdeep Singh starred with the ball for India, claiming 3/24.The win eliminates Zimbabwe from contention and levels India on two points with West Indies in Super 8 Group 1. A victory over the two-time champions West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday will secure India’s place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, South Africa maintained their perfect record with a nine-wicket win over West Indies, joining England as the first teams to qualify for the semi-finals with a game to spare.This high-scoring encounter at Chepauk showcased India’s batting firepower and sets up a high-stakes virtual quarter-final showdown against West Indies, with semi-final qualification on the line.
