India played Zimbabwe in the must-win game at the Super 8 game of the 2026 T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The Men in Blue were invited to bat first after Sikandar Raza won the toss. There were two changes for the co-hosts, with Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar making way for Sanju Samson and vice-captain Axar Patel.
The Men in Blue batters smashed the Chevron bowlers all over the park, as they scored 256/4 in their 20 overs. It started with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma giving India a blistering start, and then it was small, impactful yet explosive innings from Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav. As Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma giving a finish that India needed.
India post the highest total
This helped the Men in Blue to post the second-highest score in the T20 World Cup history, as they surpassed the record of the West Indies, as they did it against Zimbabwe in their last fixture, scoring 254/6. This is also India’s highest score in the T20 World Cups.
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The highest score was 260/6 made by Sri Lanka against Kenya in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 at Johannesburg. The third one is of the West Indies 254/6 vs Zimbabwe in this edition of the World Cup at Wankhede.
Abhishek Sharma scores his first fifty
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma got off to a flyer, scoring 48 off the first four overs of the game. The former scored 24 off 15 deliveries and looked in good touch. Abhishek Sharma finally got back to his form as the Southpaw scored his first half-century of the tournament, scoring 55 of 30 deliveries, striking at 183.33, hitting four sixes and as many fours.
Ishan Kishan also played an impactful innings of 38 off 24 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and one six. India scored 120/2 during the halfway phase of the first innings. After that, Suryakumar Yadav played a strike rate of 253.84, scoring 33 off 14 deliveries, smashing three fours and two sixes.
Hardik and Tilak ending India’s innings on a good note
Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma gave the finishing touch for the Men in Blue side, as they both were firing towards the business end of the innings. The former scored 50 off 23 balls and struck at a pace of 217.39, hitting four sixes and two fours. Tilak scored 44 off 16 balls with a strike rate of 275, whacking three boundaries and four sixes.
Coming out to chase Zimbabwe had a decent start, with stitched 44 off the first wicket, with Axar Patel picking up the first wicket for the co-hosts. They lost their second wicket just a few minutes back, with the score now being 73/2. Sikandar Raza, the captain of the side, has come out to bat with Brian Bennett, who looked in good touch with the score of 43 off 29 balls.
This is a must-win game for both sides, having lost their first Super 8 game against South Africa and the West Indies, respectively. However, after a massive total posted by the home side, the Chevrons need a miracle to win this game.
