LIVE: India let loose in Chennai, post second- highest T20WC total
With the race for the semi-final spots intensifying, the defending champions face Zimbabwe in the T20WC Super Eights.
If India was not under enough scrutiny at their home World Cup already, the spotlight has only grown harsher after their loss to South Africa in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights on Sunday.
The defending champions will look to bounce back quickly as they take on Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday in a match that has ramifications on the semi-final race.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are chasing redemption of their own after West Indies piled a record total against them in the previous game. Coming into the Super Eight on the back of winning efforts against Australia and Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe were unable to handle the heat against West Indies.
India v Zimbabwe | Feel The Thrill | Match Preview | T20WC 2026
Crucial game in the race for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals. Sanjana Ganesan and Marriot Bonvoy bring together all the insights in the preview of the India vs Zimbabwe game in Chennai.
India v Zimbabwe
Stung by the defeat to South Africa, the defending champions came into this contest all guns blazing. With the top order flying, India registered 256/4 the second highest total in T20 World Cup history.
They overhauled the 254/6 posted by West Indies three nights ago against Zimbabwe to zoom into that No.2 spot, four behind Sri Lanka's all-time high of 260.
There was a change at the top of the order, as Sanju Samson returned to the team and opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma. And he was straight into action, belting the second ball of the innings for a six.
Though Samson fell in the fourth over, he set the tone for the Indian innings as India motored to 80/1 in powerplay.
Even after the fielding restrictions are off, India have continued to press on. Abhishek Sharma, who struggled for form earlier in the tournament, laid down the marker with his maiden T20I fifty. He brought up his half-century in 26 balls and finished with 55 off 30, with the help of four fours and four sixes.
The Zimbabwe bowlers were completely at sea, as India went searching for the big runs. Their sloppy fielding -- they dropped at least two regulation catches -- didn't help.
Every Indian batter contributed to the cause as India breezed past the markers -- 150 in the 13th over and 200 in the 17th.
India: Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
India unleash early carnage | Powerplay Highlights | T20WC 2026
India batters got off to a flier against Zimababwe to post 80/1 at the end of first Powerplay at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
