T20 World Cup 2026: India hammer Zimbabwe by 72 runs in high-scoring Chennai thriller

Abhishek Sharma in full flow against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday. Pic/Getty Images; (right) Hardik Pandya during his 50 not out off 23 balls on Thursday. Pic/AFP

South Africa poked the Indian bear in Ahmedabad on Sunday, and their African neighbours Zimbabwe paid the penalty four nights later.

Shot out for 111 to slide to an embarrassing 76-run defeat that pushed them to the brink in the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup, India responded with a vengeance, rattling up the highest total of the tournament on their way to a comprehensive 72-run win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday after a valiant unbeaten 97 from in-form opener Brian Bennett took Zimbabwe to 184-6.

India's 256-4 was marked by a welcome return to form of Abhishek Sharma, and a second half-century of the competition for Hardik Pandya.

Zimbabwe's Brian Bennett's celebrates his half-century. Pic/AFP

Expectedly, India brought Sanju Samson in for Rinku Singh and asked him to open alongside Abhishek, with Ishan Kishan dropping down to No. 3. Samson struck sixes in the first two overs off Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani respectively, after which Abhishek came into his own.

Samson fell to Muzarabani after an opening stand of 44. Abhishek held his shape as he relied on timing rather than hitting the cover off the ball, Kishan had no problems blazing away and Suryakumar Yadav injected further urgency with a bruising cameo as Zimbabwe wilted under the onslaught, uncharacteristically shelling two catches.

But the best was yet to come. Tilak Varma, pushed down to No. 6, made a furious start with fours off his first two deliveries and a stunning cover-driven six not long thereafter, while Pandya was in imperious touch, bringing up a 23-ball fifty with the last ball of the innings. Pandya and Varma destroyed Zimbabwe with a stand of 84 in a mere 31 deliveries, applying the finishing touches to an innings that contained 17 fours and as many sixes.

17
No. of sixes smashed by India on Thursday - their most in a T20 World Cup match

256-4
No. of runs scored by India on Thursday - their highest-ever total in T20 World Cups. It is also the highest total in the ongoing edition

Two
No. of times Zimbabwe have conceded more than 250 in T20Is - both in consecutive games (254-6 vs WI in Mumbai on Monday and 256-4 vs India in Chennai)

80-1
Runs scored by India in the first six overs - their third-highest Powerplay total in T20 World Cups

48
No. of runs added by Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma - the highest opening stand for India at this T20 World Cup

26
No. of balls Abhishek Sharma took to score his half-century on Thursday - his second-slowest in T20Is. The first being his maiden T20I 50 off 33 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2024

9.1
No. of overs taken by India to reach 100 - their third-fastest in T20 World Cups

23
No. of runs conceded by Zimbabwe pacer Tinotenda Maposa in his opening over - the second-most by a bowler in his first-ever over in T20 World Cups

Three
No. of times Zimbabwe have not lost a wicket in the Powerplay - the most by any team at this T20 World Cup

35
No. of wickets claimed by Arshdeep Singh in T20 World Cups - the most by an Indian after Jasprit Bumrah (33)

26
No. of runs conceded by Shivam Dube in his first over - the most by an Indian in a T20 World Cup, after Yuvraj Singh vs NZ at Johannesburg in 2007

Brief scores
India 256-4 in 20 overs (A Sharma 55, H Pandya 50', T Varma 44', I Kishan 38, S Yadav 33) beat Zimbabwe 184-6 in 20 overs (B Bennett 97', S Raza 31; A Singh 3-24) by 72 runs