India beat Zimbabwe by 72 runs to boost semi-final hopes in T20 World Cup 2026

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 saw another high scoring match today between India and Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The hosts scored 256 runs in the first innings, which became the highest score of the season. While chasing a mammoth total, Zimbabwe lost the match by 72 runs. 

It wasn't one of their best performance but they did manage to score runs in the second innings. India batted first after losing the toss, a decision that backfired Zimbabwe. The Indian batters wreaked havoc on the bowling department, putting up a huge total on the board. 

It was Abhishek Sharma's 55, Hadik Pandya's unbeaten 50, Tilak Varma's 44, Ishan Kishan's 38, and Suryakumar Yadav's 33 runs that helped the hosts. In the bowling front, Zimbabwe were very expensive. Only skipper Sikandar Raza conceded 29 runs in three overs. Other than that, the rest of the bowlers conceded a lot of runs in the first innings. 

Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya's smart bowling helped India clinch victory

India's bowling attack performed really well in the tournament but today, they weren't in their best. Brian Bennett went after every bowler, scoring an unbeaten 97 runs in the tournament. With this defeat, Zimbabwe are out of the tournament but Bennett's innings will always remain memorable. He batted extremely well, smashing boundaries and sixes today. 

The Men in Blue will look to win the match against West Indies in the next match to book the semi-final berth. If they lose, they'll be out of the tournament. Moreover, if the game is abandoned due to rain, West Indies will qualify because of the NRR. Zimbabwe made sure that India's NRR doesn't improve. 

Where to watch India vs West Indies match?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs West Indies match on March 1 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?