T20 World Cup 2026: India vs Zimbabwe, Match 48 – Full highlights, top moments & winner details

India registered a comprehensive 72-run win against Zimbabwe on Thursday, February 26, to keep their hopes of making the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup alive.

The fans who turned up to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday enjoyed a magnificent display of power hitting from the home team. After Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl first, a returning Sanju Samson stitched a 48-run stand with Abhishek Sharma inside four overs.

After Samson was dismissed, Abhishek played brilliantly to register his first fifty in the tournament. Ishan Kishan, demoted to No. 3, also chipped in with a 24-ball 38. Suryakumar Yadav took the attack to the bowlers from the outset and smashed 33 runs off 13 balls.

In the end, Hardik Pandya (50*) and Tilak Varma (44*) added an unbeaten stand of 84 runs off 31 balls to take India to 256/4 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Zimbabwe started with a sedate approach as the openers added 44 runs in the power play. However, Tadiwanashe Marumani was dismissed by Axar Patel in the seventh over. Dion Myers couldn't make much of a contribution, and it was Sikandar Raza who forged a 72-run stand off 41 balls with Brian Bennett to show that Zimbabwe were not going down without a fight.

Arshdeep Singh took the wickets of Raza and Ryan Burl in the 17th over to bring the crowd back to life. Bennett batted till the end and finished unbeaten on 97 off just 59 balls. Zimbabwe were restricted to 184/6 as the Men in Blue bagged their first points in the Super 8 stage.

IND vs ZIM: Top Performers of the Match

Top batting performance: Tilak Varma

While Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya smashed half-centuries in quick time, it was Tilak Varma who looked the most confident and fluent batter for the defending champions. He walked out to bat at No. 6, relinquishing his one-down position to Ishan Kishan. The Hyderabad batter hit the ground running and slammed an unbeaten 44 off just 16 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes.

Top bowling performance: Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh bowled with great control against the Zimbabwean batters on a belter of a track. The experienced left-arm seamer took the wickets of Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, and Tony Munyonga in the back end of the innings, eventually finishing with figures of 3/24 in his four overs.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• 46 runs conceded by Shivam Dube is the most conceded by a bowler in the first two overs of a T20 World Cup match.
• India's 256/4 is the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history.
• 440 runs were scored in total in the match. This is second on the list of the highest match aggregates in the T20 World Cup.
• Each of India's six batters had a strike rate of over 150. This is the first time six (or more) batters have scored 20-plus runs at 150-plus strike rate in an innings in a T20 World Cup.

Abhishek Sharma after batting blitzkrieg vs Zimbabwe

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Abhishek Sharma after batting blitzkrieg vs Zimbabwe

Who was the Player of the Match?

Hardik Pandya won the Player of the Match award, as he scored a blistering half-century and bowled three overs for just 21 runs on Thursday. During his knock with the bat, Hardik made 50 off just 23 balls, belting two fours and three sixes.

What is the next match?

Zimbabwe will face South Africa in an inconsequential match on Sunday, March 1, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Later in the day, India will take on the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in what is a virtual quarterfinal.