Now, upbeat India eye ‘Winʼdies

Thrash Zimbabwe by 72 runs, look to secure World Cup semifinal berth

- Haridev Pushparaj

India did themselves a huge favour beating Zimbabwe by 72 runs after piling up the highest total of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, putting themselves on course to qualify for the semifinals if they defeat the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1.

Team India will be buoyed by the performances of Abhis-hek Sharma, who struck a fiery 55, and Hardik Pandya, who smashed a brilliant 50 to propel India to 254/6 in 20 overs. There were valuable contributions from Tilak Varma (44), Ishan Kishan (38), Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Sanju Samson (24). Arshdeep Singh scalped 3/24 ina disciplined bowling display to restrict Zimbabwe to 184/6 in 20 overs.