India and Zimbabwe locked horns in game 48 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. The two sides faced off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 26, and the clash saw India coming in to bat first after losing the toss. While the side had lost its previous game against South Africa in the Super 8 stage of the tournament, the Men in Blue managed to put in a brilliant performance and posted their highest-ever total in the T20 World Cups.
It is worth noting that India opened their innings with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma coming out to bat. Sanju amassed 24 runs in 15 deliveries, whereas Abhishek scored 55 runs in 30 deliveries.
Furthermore, Ishan Kishan scored 38 runs in 24 balls, alongside Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 33 runs in 13 deliveries. Additionally, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma put forth good showings and scored 50* and 44* as India posted a total of 256 runs in the first innings, which is the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history.
Abhishek Sharma gave his take on the first innings
It is worth noting that Abhishek Sharma caught the limelight in the first innings of the game, scoring 55 runs in 30 deliveries. The star batter performed exceptionally well after a string of poor scores in the T20 World Cup. However, this time around, he completed his half-century and proved his critics wrong. After the first innings, he gave his take on the team’s performance.
“It’s always great to contribute for the team. I was waiting for this moment for a long time and I am very happy. [Taking his time] It wasn’t intentional. I just wanted to spend some time on the pitch. I haven’t taken 10-12 balls so far. Special mention to the team. They just backed me, they were just reminding me that your time is not far. The way they have finished the innings, I will say the Indian team is back. That is what we wanted. As a batting unit we just wanted to express ourselves,” Abhishek Sharma said after the first innings.
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