India outclass Zimbabwe to set virtual quarter-final clash against West Indies in T20 World Cup 2026
Team India turned things around in dominant fashion, defeating Zimbabwe in a must-win T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight clash. The equation got a lot more straightforward ahead of the game with West Indies going down to South Africa earlier in the day. The requirement was simple: India needed two consecutive wins, including one against Zimbabwe, to advance to the semis.
Winning the toss in Chennai, Zimbabwe opted to bowl first. India made two changes to the side: Sanju Samson replaced Rinku Singh, and Axar Patel replaced Washington Sundar. India started off on a high with Sanju Samson regulating the early fireworks while Abhishek Sharma settled in with time.
Samson (24) laid the foundation early on, while Sharma started finding his rhythm in his signature destructive style. The opening duo added 48 runs before Blessing Muzarabani got the better of Samson. However, the Men in Blue were on a mission and every single player knew his assignment. Ishan Kishan stepped in and had no intentions of being wary.
Blowing caution to the wind, Ishan and Sharma hunkered down to muscling the ball as frequently as possible. The duo added 72 runs for the second wicket from only 42 balls, taking India to 120 before Sikandar Raza finally dismissed Ishan Kishan (38). Despite the departure of Ishan, India had no intentions of slowing down.
An incoming Suryakumar Yadav started on the fifth gear itself. Sharma and SKY were relentless and ruthless as the Zimbabwean bowlers found it hard to rattle through. Eventually, after much persuasion, Tinotenda Maposa could strike to remove Sharma from the equation but by then SKY was already spitting fire. Sharma smashed 55 from just 30 balls, hammering four fours and four sixes.
SKY was joined by an incoming Hardik Pandya and India continued with the same intent. SKY smashed 33 off just 13 balls, rocking three fours and two sixes during his blistering residence in the middle. However, the defending champions saved the best for the last. Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma meant business and India wanted to go big with the total.
Pandya stayed unbeaten for 50 off just 23 balls while Varma smashed 44* off just 16 balls. The partnership was of 86 runs from just 31 balls, underlining India’s finishing finesse. The Men in Blue concluded their innings at 256/4.
Zimbabwe got off to a controlled start with Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani focused on getting a few early runs. Even though the scoring rate really didn’t match the equation, the duo added 44 runs from the first 38 balls. Axar Patel stepped up to get India their first breakthrough in the form of Marumani. Varun Chakravarthy added another in quick succession as Dion Myers (6) couldn’t really trouble the scorers. Despite the brakes at the other end, Bennett looked in good control.
Sikandar Raza (31) gave Bennett the much-needed support that he needed but with asking rate climbing through the skies, Zimbabwe buckled under the pump. Arshdeep Singh broke the partnership between Raza and Bennett, claiming the former. While he further complicated matters for the visitors with the prized scalp of Ryan Burl (0) in the very same over.
Bennett stayed unbeaten for 97 from 59 balls, propelling Zimbabwe to 184/6. However, it wasn’t enough for Raza and company as their fate was sealed after falling to India. The Men in Blue secured a monumental win by 72 runs while also turning Sunday’s encounter against West Indies into a virtual quarter-final.
Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowling lot for India with figures of 3/21 from his allotment of four overs while Hardik Pandya won the Player of the Match award for his scintillating performance with the bat while also dishing out economical figures with the ball in his hands.
