The Men in Blue India came out all guns blazing in this must-win clash for them and performed brilliantly with the bat and decent with the ball. India were brilliant with the bat in hand after being asked to bat first. It was an explosive batting display and everyone performed led by Abhishek Sharma and finished off by Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma while the others chipped in as India made a massive 256/4 in 20 overs with 80 coming off the last 5 overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe did not throw in the towel as a Brian Bennett special knock of carrying the bat went in vain. Bennett made an unbeaten 97 off 59 balls and carried his bat batting at the top of the order. There were a few supporting acts for him with Raza helping him out. But it was a bridge too far for the Chevrons as they made a respectable score of 184/6 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh picked up 3 wickets and was the pick for India. The others bowled decently as well.
All-Round Batting Display led by Abhishek Sharma powers India to 256/4 in 20 overs.Â
Put into bat first, keeper batter Sanju Samson opened the batting with Abhishek Sharma while Richard Ngarava had ball in hand for Zimbabwe. Sanju came quickly off the blocks and hit some lusty blows to get the innings going while Abhishek took his time initially and took the game on soon. But Sanju was entertaining the Chennai crowd as Abhishek complimented him really well. The duo put on 48 for the first wicket inside 4 overs before Samson threw it away as he fell for 24 off 15 balls with one four and two sixes to his name to Blessing Muzarabani.
Ishan Kishan came out to bat next and after a while he started to attack the bowling. Abhishek was in the zone now as he now decided to take on the bowling. Both complimented each other well as India bossed the powerplay despite losing Samson as they took the score to 80/1 in 6 overs. The duo carried on the work in the middle phase as Zimbabwe in patches tried to pull things back. India reached 109/1 in 10 overs and soon Abhishek completed his half-century.
The duo put on 72 runs for the second wicket before Ishan who was looking good fell for 38 off 24 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name to Sikandar Raza. Captain Suryakumar Yadav came out to join Abhishek and Surya was off the blocks quickly. He nailed the sweeps away for a boundary. Abhishek looked set as well. The duo added 30 runs for the third wicket before Abhishek fell for 55 off 30 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes to his name to Tinotenda Maposa who would feel a lot better now. Hardik Pandya came out to bat next.
Hardik also got going straightaway and looked good and Surya was in the zone as well. The duo of Hardik and Surya added 22 runs for the 4th wicket before Surya fell for a quickfire 33 off 13 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Richard Ngarava. Tilak Varma came out to bat next with 31 balls to go and got off the mark with a boundary as India reached 176/4 in 15 overs.
If we thought the carnage was over, we were mistaken as Hardik and Tilak provided the finish in the last 5 overs and complimented each other well. Tilak also was proactive and took on the bowling head on while Hardik showed his power and range. The duo just demoralised a hapless Zimbabwe attack. Hardik was brutal while Tilak was keeping the tempo going as big overs came in the end. Tilak was magnificent as he was unbeaten on 44 off 16 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name while Hardik got to his fifty with a couple of sixes off the last two balls of the innings.
The fifth wicket partnership was worth 84 runs off 31 balls and out of which 80 came off the last 5 overs i.e. 30 balls as India powered their way to a massive 256/4 in 20 overs, the highest score in this edition and second highest overall in T20 World Cups history. Tilak stayed unbeaten on 44 off 16 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name while Hardik remained unbeaten on 50 off 23 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name as India finished with a massive 256/4 in 20 overs with 12 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a tough day for the Zimbabwe bowlers in Chennai. Blessing Muzarabani finished with 1/43 in 4 overs. Richard Ngarava finished with 1/62 in 4 overs. Tinotenda Maposa finished with 1/40 in 2 overs. Sikandar Raza finished with 1/29 in 3 overs. Brad Evans finished with 0/52 in 4 overs. Brian Bennett finished with 0/16 in 2 overs. This meant that Zimbabwe had a target of 257 runs to win off 20 overs to upset India.
Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 97 goes in vain as Arshdeep Singh’s 3-wicket haul gives India a 72-run win.Â
Chasing a massive 257 for the win, Brian Bennett and keeper batter Tadiwanashe Marumani came out to open the batting for Zimbabwe while Arshdeep Singh had ball in hand for India. Zimbabwe got off to a steady start and did not just throw in the towel. The openers started slowly and gradually accelerated as they played through the powerplay phase unscathed. Zimbabwe were 44/0 in 6 overs of powerplay. Axar Patel came into the attack and removed Marumani for 20 off 20 balls with 2 sixes to his name. Dion Myers came out to bat next.
It was the Brian Bennett show as he got himself in and then accelerated as well. India did not have any answers against him. The duo of Bennett and Myers put on 28 runs for the second wicket before Myers fell for 6 off 9 balls to Varun Chakaravarthy. Captain Sikandar Raza came out to bat next. Bennett and Raza then forged a partnership and kept India at bay as they accelerated as well. The duo aced the middle overs phase and showed some respectability to the scoreboard. The duo added 72 runs for the third wicket before Raza fell for 31 off 21 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Arshdeep Singh.
Ryan Burl came out to bat next. Arshdeep had two wickets in the over as he removed Burl for a silver duck LBW and thanks to great usage of the DRS. Tony Munyonga came out to bat next and he played his shots as well. Bennett continued his merry ways and zoomed past the 50 runs. The duo added 18 runs for the 5th wicket before Munyonga fell for 11 off 6 balls with 2 fours to his name to Arshdeep Singh. Tashinga Musekiwa came out to bat next.
Musekiwa hit a maximum as well as the duo added 11 runs for the 6th wicket before Musekiwa fell for 7 off 4 balls with one six to his name as Shivam Dube got a consolation victory. Brad Evans came out to bat next. Bennett finished things off in style with a maximum and a boundary to end the innings. Bennett remained unbeaten and carried his bat for his unbeaten 97 off 59 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes to his name while Evans remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball as Zimbabwe ended with 184/6 in 20 overs. 11 extras given by the fielding side.
Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 3/24 in 4 overs. Varun Chakaravarthy finished with 1/35 in 4 overs. Axar Patel finished with 1/35 in 4 overs. Shivam Dube was awful with his 1/46 in 2 overs. Hardik Pandya finished with 0/21 in 3 overs. Jasprit Bumrah finished with 0/21 in 3 overs. So, India win by 72 runs to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Hardik Pandya was adjudged the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, India keeps their semi-final hopes alive while Zimbabwe are eliminated from the tournament. India now will head off to Kolkata at the iconic Eden Gardens for virtual quarterfinal against West Indies while Zimbabwe head to New Delhi to face South Africa who have already qualified for the semis. So, a lot to look forward to in Group 1.
Up next is Group 2 action in Sri Lanka. Tomorrow we have England vs New Zealand in Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. England are already through to the semis and New Zealand are a win away from qualifying. Pakistan who plays om Saturday has an outside chance should England beat New Zealand and make it a net run rate situation. So, a lot to look forward to in this Group 2 as the final round of matches kick off now. England and South Africa are officially through. 2 spots remain up for grabs. Let’s see who fills in the missing spots now.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: All-Round Batting Display Led By Abhishek Sharma Powered India Past 250.