India kept their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign alive with a 72-run win over Zimbabwe in Chennai, and the result, along with South Africa’s victory over West Indies, has now turned Sunday’s clash into a virtual quarterfinal.
After a disappointing outing against South Africa, India bounced back brilliantly. Asked to bat first, they produced their most complete batting performance of the tournament, scoring 256/4, the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history. Sanju Samson, promoted back to the top, hit two sixes inside the first two overs, while Abhishek Sharma finally found rhythm after a lean run.
Even after Samson fell for 24, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek, and later Suryakumar Yadav ensured Zimbabwe never came on top. Abhishek’s 55 off 30 balls, his maiden T20 World Cup fifty, came at a crucial time, especially given his struggles earlier in the tournament.
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya tore into the bowling attack, adding 80 runs in the final five overs. Hardik’s unbeaten 50 off just 23 balls guided India past 250, with 17 sixes smashed overall. Zimbabwe never seriously threatened the target of 257. Though Brian Bennett fought hard with an unbeaten 97, India’s brilliance with the ball ensured the result was never in doubt.
Earlier in the day, South Africa thrashed West Indies by nine wickets, a result that confirmed the Proteas’ semifinal berth and affected West Indies’ net run rate. That outcome simplified India’s equation significantly. Now, the India-West Indies clash in Kolkata is effectively a knockout. The winner will move to four points and secure a semifinal berth. Net run rate will not matter if India simply beat West Indies.
There is also an outside chance for the home team to top the group. For that to happen, they must beat the West Indies by a huge margin and hope Zimbabwe pulls off a surprise comprehensive win over South Africa. Only then could net run rate come into play at the top.
Updated Points Table (Super 8 Group 1)
| SR.No | Team | Played | Win | Loss | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate |
| 1 | South Africa (Q) | 02 | 02 | 00 | 00 | 04 | +2.890 |
| 2 | West Indies | 02 | 01 | 01 | 00 | 02 | +1.791 |
| 3 | India | 02 | 01 | 01 | 00 | 02 | –0.100 |
| 4 | Zimbabwe (E) | 02 | 00 | 02 | 00 | 00 | –4.475 |
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