Axar Patel celebrates with his teammates after taking the wicket of Zimbabwe’s Tadiwanashe Marumani during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Zimbabwe, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. (PTI photo)
TimesofIndia.com in Chennai: It took five matches but India’s batting finally worked and they registered the second highest total in T20 World Cup history. The Men in Blue fired on all cylinders to end their innings at 256/4 and then completed the formalities by restricting Zimbabwe to 184/6 in a must-win Super Eight match in the multi-nation tournament in Chennai.
From the powerful power play to the mid-on target and the brilliant finish – back-to-back sixes from Hardik Pandya – India ticked the boxes they had been craving in the matches leading up to Thursday’s match. Restoring the right-left combination at the top of the order has worked wonders for the defending champions.
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Sanju Samson’s return to the playing XI has forced the opposition to keep their opponents at bay in the last few matches.
When he was finally introduced, runs were already on the board and Abhishek Sharma reverted to his six-hitting ways.Chepauk was in for a treat as the Indian batsmen celebrated on one of the most batting-friendly surfaces in the tournament, aided by some regular captaincy and bowling. The score ball percentage – just 26 – was noticeably low compared to previous games and all of them worked at a batting average of over 150 with three of them hovering in the 20s.
There were a lot of sixes, but what was encouraging was to see the intent to maintain the momentum throughout the innings.Samson was out after a brilliant debut but Ishan Kishan did not let the innings drop the gear. Suryakumar Yadav played with fielders and field positions. Hardik Pandya took his initial time but hit the ground running when it mattered and the biggest positive was Tilak Varma’s return to fluent form. Batting at No. 6, the left-hander, who had been facing criticism for his lack of intent in the middle overs, came in like a breath of fresh air by getting off the word go.
The left-hander mastered the finish, smashing a 16-ball 44 that included 3 boundaries and 4 sixes.India made the most of their best opening positions of the tournament, but unlike their best match (86/1 against Namibia), there was no suffocation in the middle. Even as off-spinners Sikander Raza and Brian Bennett bowled side-by-side after the fielding restrictions were lifted, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma maintained the scoring rate well and showed no desperation in getting out of trouble.
The shot selection was good, the scoring areas were clever, and India countered the indirect threat quite convincingly.
Raza picked out Kishan’s wicket to break an ill-fated 72-run stand, but five collective overs of spin went to 45, allowing the defending champions to dominate the middle overs.Abhishek is always the crucial piece to India’s batting puzzle and his Super 8 struggle was another reminder of why life is comfortable when he starts.
It took the youngster a while to score his maiden fifty in the T20I World Cup, but India won’t be complaining as his return to form augurs well for the side in action, should they win by the end of the tournament. There is no room for any further misstep if they want to become the only team to defend the title first, then win the home edition.
An afternoon assist from South Africa put the Men in Blue in a good position to score and it was now up to them. The batsmen roared and the collective power of the bowling unit was on display once again in front of a huge crowd. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik kept it fresh with the new ball and when Jasprit Bumrah was introduced in the fifth over of the chase, Zimbabwe looked edgy about making the move. With little help from the bowlers, India bowled into narrow channels. Vice-captain Axar Patel, who returned to the starting line-up after two matches, earned his first charge on his debut with the dismissal of Tadewanashe Marumane.
However, Zimbabwe threw some punches during their spell with Brian Bennett.The right-handed opener enjoyed attacking the bowlers and used the powerful jab effectively to clear the ropes several times. Shivam Dube leaked runs – going for 46 in two innings – but the mountain was too high to climb, even after the giant steps in the middle. India still had two from Arshdeep, one from Bumrah and two from Hardik to seal the deal, and the experienced trio followed the expected script.An unsuspectable 113 runs were needed from the last 24 deliveries, and Arshdeep’s double wicket brought the hosts closer to concluding the formalities. Bennett put on a real show with the bat to test the bowlers but even his blinder could only take the total to 184/6. With this emphatic win, India not only maintained their campaign but also regained their mojo ahead of another must-win encounter against the West Indies at Eden Gardens.Abbreviated degrees:India 256/4 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 55, Hardik Pandya 50 not out; Sikander Raza 1-29, Tinotanda Mapusa 1-40)Zimbabwe 164/6 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 99; Arshdeep Singh 3-24)
