India kept their T20 World Cup semifinal hopes alive with a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in a must-win Super 8 clash on Thursday.
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Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a fiery 55 off just 30 balls, stitching together a 48-run opening stand with Sanju Samson (24) after Zimbabwe chose to bowl first. The early momentum laid the platform for a batting onslaught.
Ishan Kishan (38) and captain Suryakumar Yadav (33) maintained the tempo with brisk cameos before Hardik Pandya delivered the final flourish. Pandya smashed an unbeaten 50 off only 23 deliveries, while Tilak Varma blazed 44 not out from just 14 balls. The duo combined for a stunning 84-run partnership in merely 31 balls, propelling India to a massive 256 for 4, the highest total of this edition of the tournament.
Chasing a daunting target, Zimbabwe showed fight through Brian Bennett, who remained unbeaten on 97. However, the rest of the batting line-up failed to keep pace, and they finished on 184 for 6 in their 20 overs.
Arshdeep Singh led India’s bowling effort with impressive figures of 3 for 24. Zimbabwe’s bowlers including Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tinotenda Maposa and captain Sikandar Raza, picked up a wicket each but struggled to contain India’s relentless attack.
Brief Scores
India: 256/4 in 20 overs
(Abhishek Sharma 55, Tilak Verma 44*, Hardik Pandya 50*; Sikandar Raza 1/29)
Zimbabwe: 184/6 in 20 overs
(Brian Bennett 97*; Arshdeep Singh 3/24)
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