Abhishek, Pandya Power India to Tournament-High 256 Against Zimbabwe
CHENNAI, India — Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya smashed commanding half-centuries as India piled up a massive 256 for 4 against Zimbabwe in a crucial Super Eight match of the Men’s T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
The total is India’s highest of the tournament and the second-highest score in Men’s T20 World Cup history. India also set a new tournament record by hitting 17 sixes in the innings.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and chose to bowl, hoping early moisture in the pitch would aid his seamers. The decision quickly unraveled as India’s batters launched an all-out assault from the start, keeping Zimbabwe’s bowlers under constant pressure throughout the innings.
Sanju Samson set the tone with a brisk 24 off 15 balls, striking early sixes before falling in the fourth over. Abhishek Sharma then took charge, shaking off a cautious start to produce a fluent 55 off 30 balls, mixing clean drives with powerful pulls and lofted shots.
Ishan Kishan joined the onslaught with aggressive strokes through the leg side before being dismissed, while Suryakumar Yadav maintained the tempo with a flurry of boundaries, including his trademark sweeps and deft cuts, before falling in the latter half of the innings.
Hardik Pandya provided the finishing flourish, hammering an unbeaten 50 off just 23 balls. He was well supported by Tilak Varma, who blasted an unbeaten 44 from 16 deliveries as the pair added rapid runs in the closing overs to push India past the 250 mark.
India’s bowlers will now look to capitalize on the imposing total and secure a significant net run rate boost, which had taken a hit following a heavy defeat to South Africa earlier in the tournament.
Brief scores:
India 256/4 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 55, Hardik Pandya 50 not out; Sikandar Raza 1-29, Tinotenda Maposa 1-40) vs Zimbabwe (Source: IANS)
