ICC T20 World Cup Highlights: India beats Zimbabwe by 72 runs; remains in the race for semifinals

Bennett clears Dube for a six and a four on the last two balls of the game to score an unbeaten 97. Dube finishes two overs yielding 46 runs, proving to be the costliest among the bowlers for India.

India win the game by 72 runs as Zimbabwe ends their chase at 184/6 after 20 overs.

Samson takes a super catch behind the stumps as Musekiwa tries to slog a slower one from Dube, to mistime it completely and get caught.

Arshdeep continues to be among the wickets after bowling Munyonga out in the 19th over. Zimbabwe at 163/5 after 18.3 overs.

Another wicket for Arshdeep in the 17th over as Burl departs for a duck.

Arshdeep gets a wicket. Abhishek Sharma takes a sitter as Zimbabwe loses third wicket. Skipper Raza departs for 31 (21).

Bennett smashes Dubey’s 15th over for 26 runs (4 extras). Zimbabwe reaches 131/2 in 15 overs, needing 126 runs in 30 balls.

Bennett brings up his half century (52 off 34) with Bangladesh at 97/2 after 13 overs.

Varun Chakaravarthy gets India’s second wicket as Zimbabwe reaches 73/2 at the halfway mark of their innings.

Axar gets the first breakthrough for India as Marumani departs for 20 (20). Ishan Kishan takes a regulation catch.

Rinku Singh drops Marumani on 17. Bennett on 23*(18) and Marumani on 20*(18) after 6 overs with Zimbabwe at 44/0.

Bennett at 8*(7) and Marumani at 10*(11) after 3 overs with Zimbabwe at 19/0.

Zimbabwe at 4/0 after the first over.

Quickfire 50s from Hardik and Abhishek power India to a mammoth 256/4.

Suryakumar departs for 33 (13) at the 15th over

Zimbabwe skipper Raza’s sensational efforts at the boundary to catch a shot from Hardik and throw it right back into the field, saving five runs for his team.

Zimbabwe gets Abhishek Sharma in the middle of an otherwise costly over. He hits one straight to Maposa off Raza, departing after an impressive 55 off 30.

Hardik Pandya takes guard.

India at 151/3 after 13 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav dropped at 8* by Muzarabani. India at 134/2 after 12 overs.

Raza scalps Kishan. He departs for 38(24). Suryakumar Yadav joins Abhishek Sharma at the crease and is off the mark with a boundary. India at 125/2 after 11 overs. 

Meanwhile Abhishek Sharma reached his 50 off 26 balls.

Lifeline for Kishan as Musekiwa drops him at boundary. India at 109/1 after 10 overs.

Skipper Raza and Bennett prove economical in their opening overs, yielding only 10 runs in two overs. India at 90/1 after 8 overs.

Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma continue to find the boundaries as India finishes 6 overs at 80/1.

Ishan Kishan picks clean a full toss from Ngarava to the boundary on the first ball of the sixth over. India at 67/1 after 5.1 overs.

Zimbabwe gets their first breakthrough as Samson departs for 24 (15). Samson tried to slog Muzarabani, only to find Ryan Burl scalping him safely. Ishan Kishan arrives with India at 49/1 after 4 overs.

Abhishek Sharma scores a six off the last ball as Maposa yields 23 runs in the third over. After 3 overs, India at 46/0. 

Abhishek Sharma scores a boundary off a no-ball from Maposa in the third over. Maposa follows it up with two wides. Abhishek Sharma sees the free hit again to the boundary. India at 35/0 after 2.3 overs. 

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson arrive at the crease. Sanju Samson gets India off the mark with a six on the second delivery.

India: Sanju Samson (w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani (w), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava.

Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to bat against defending champions India in their Super 8 contest.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah is just three wickets away from becoming the eighth Indian with 500 international wickets.

Bumrah’s 24 balls could go a long way in deciding India’s future in this tournament after the Men in Blue ran into trouble with a 76-run loss to South Africa in Super Eight stage opener, sending their net-run-rate in minus.

So far in 232 matches for India, Bumrah has taken 497 wickets at an average of 20.56, with best figures of 6/19, 13 four-wicket hauls and 18 five-wicket hauls.

- ANI

Speaking on JioHotstar, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra shared his thoughts on the off-spin challenge for India’s left-handers and the method to counter Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza.

Chopra highlighted how off-spinners have become India’s biggest headache in the tournament. He said, “Every delivery bowled by off-spinners to the Indian openers is slightly short, wide, and fired in. They are not giving any room. That is exactly what happened against the Netherlands, South Africa and Pakistan. Whether it was Aryan Dutt, Salman Ali Agha or Aiden Markram, everyone followed the same plan against the Indian batters, especially the left-handers.”

“They have tied them down. In fact, no team has lost more wickets than India against finger spinners, especially off-spinners, in this World Cup. Off-spinners are usually considered easier bowlers to play. But in this tournament, the story has been quite painful from India’s point of view,” Chopra said.

On how India should approach against Sikandar Raza’s bowling, Chopra said, “Sikandar Raza will bowl fast and follow the left-handed batters. He will keep the ball around the stumps. He is not going to bowl slower deliveries as Markram did. That is not his plan. He does not even need to change the pace much. India have two left-handers in Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma opening the innings. To counter Raza, they should bring Suryakumar Yadav at number three. He is the Captain and should lead from the front.”

“If Tilak Varma comes at three, India have two left-handers together batting after the fall of the first wicket, and this will only increase their problems. Surya at three creates the left-right combination, which can trouble Zimbabwe’s bowlers. Surya is playing his fourth T20 World Cup. He is in form, needs to take charge and lead the team from the front,” he concluded.

- ANI

There is an aura about the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium that’s hard to express in words. Terms associated with Chepauk that one first heard on the radio – the V. Pattabhiraman Gate, the Wallajah Road End – surge to your mind as you negotiate the broad gates and cast your eyes on the lush-green, newly laid outfield which cuts a pretty picture.

Chepauk and its colourful legacy of delivering classic cricket matches

The vibrant cricket legacy of the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk shines as India faces Zimbabwe in a crucial T20 World Cup Super Eight clash.

That India and Zimbabwe desperately need a win is not lost on Ryan Burl. In fact, the Zimbabwe all-rounder wants his team to channel the energy and not get bogged down by the added pressure when the two sides meet in the ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight game at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on Thursday (February 26, 2026).

“It’s obviously a must-win game for us. It’s also a must-win game for India. There’s a lot at stake here, being a World Cup game,” Burl said on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).