Arshdeep Leads India to Dominant 72-Run Win Over Zimbabwe, Super Eights Campaign Back on Track

Chennai, Feb 2026: A clinical all-round performance powered by Arshdeep Singh’s incisive spell of 3 for 24 helped India register a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in their Super Eights encounter of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday. The emphatic result eliminated Zimbabwe from the tournament while simultaneously sealing South Africa’s place in the semifinals.

The win put India’s campaign firmly back on course after their earlier setback against South Africa. It also sets up a high-stakes clash against fellow two-time champions West Indies at the Eden Gardens on March 1—a match that now shapes up as a virtual knockout.

Set a daunting target of 257, Zimbabwe were never truly in contention, but they did show resilience and character. The standout performance came from Brian Bennett, who played a superb lone hand with an unbeaten 97 off 59 balls. His innings, decorated with eight fours and four sixes, ensured Zimbabwe finished on a respectable 184 for 6. Despite carrying his bat through the innings, Bennett fell agonisingly short of a deserved century.

Zimbabwe’s chase began steadily with a wicketless powerplay, but the required rate remained intimidating. Opener Tadiwanashe Marumani struggled for fluency and was dropped on 17 by Ishan Kishan. However, the reprieve proved temporary as Marumani was dismissed for 20, slicing to cover-point off Axar Patel’s second delivery.

Bennett continued to defy the Indian attack with an array of lofted drives, inside-out shots and slog-sweeps, bringing up his half-century with a flat six over long-on. Yet India maintained control, with local favourite Varun Chakaravarthy breaking a partnership by having Dion Myers caught at deep mid-wicket.

When Sikandar Raza joined Bennett, Zimbabwe briefly threatened to inject momentum. The pair capitalised on a rare loose spell from Shivam Dube, who conceded 26 runs in his first over. But any hopes of a late surge were quickly extinguished when Arshdeep returned to dismiss Raza at long-on, trap Ryan Burl lbw for a two-ball duck, and bowl Tony Monyonga with a pinpoint yorker. Though Dube dismissed Tashinga Musekiwa in the final over, Bennett closed the innings in style with a six and a four off the last two balls.

While India’s bowlers delivered the required result, Dube’s figures—46 runs conceded in just two overs—will concern the team management, marking the most expensive two-over spell in T20 World Cup history. Chakaravarthy, too, proved costly with 35 runs in his four overs. These bowling avenues will need sharper returns ahead of the West Indies showdown.

Ultimately, the margin of victory underlined India’s dominance, built on explosive batting earlier in the match. Abhishek Sharma’s fluent 55 and Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten late half-century powered India to a massive 256 for 4, a total that proved far beyond Zimbabwe’s reach.

Brief scores:
India 256/4 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 55, Hardik Pandya 50*; Sikandar Raza 1-29, Tinotenda Maposa 1-40)
Zimbabwe 184/6 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 97*, Sikandar Raza 31; Arshdeep Singh 3-24)
India won by 72 runs