Chennai: Much of the evening was spent realising this was a colossal mismatch in standards. West Indies piled up 254 at Wankhede, India plundered 256 at Chepauk—Zimbabwe flattered to deceive, but India’s batting unit delivered a statement as clinical as it was commanding. India didn’t merely bat—they imposed themselves, dictated the tempo, and demonstrated the depth that has become the hallmark of this era of Indian white-ball cricket. This 72-run win was exactly what India needed ahead of the West Indies match at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
From the outset, India’s batting intent was unmistakable. All three openers were deployed for the first time in this World Cup, each walking in with clarity: assess briefly, then accelerate. Boundaries were not forced; they flowed.
Drives pierced the infield with precision, pulls cleared the boundaries with ease, and anything fractionally short disappeared square of the wicket. Sanju Samson set the tone with a 15-ball 24 before five Indian batters crossed 30; Abhishek Sharma (55 off 30 balls) and Hardik Pandya (50* off 23 balls) converted fifties.
More intimidating were the records set during the innings. Seventeen sixes were hit, the joint most by them in a T20 World Cup innings. This was the first time each of India’s top six batters scored at a strike rate of above 150 (with at least 20 runs) in a T20 World Cup.
The effort was so comprehensive that India played just 26 dot balls, the joint fewest in a completed 20-over innings in T20 World Cups. And when things couldn’t have looked better, Pandya and Tilak Varma (44* off 16 balls) added 84 runs in just 31 balls at a staggering run rate of 16.25—only the second best after the 87 off 29 balls by Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene against Kenya in 2007.
What stood out most was the control. India didn’t swing blindly in search of a total. They built it. The Powerplay yielded momentum without recklessness; India added 80 runs to set up the rest of the innings.
Rotating strike when the ball wasn’t in the slot, India worked with the ease of a training drill. Zimbabwe’s seamers searched for movement off the surface, but were wayward and nervous. Sikandar Raza tried to ring in too many changes without sticking to a couple of combinations, and had to pay dearly. The footwork from Samson, Abhishek and Kishan was decisive, helping India disrupt and unravel plans.
Everything worked seamlessly for India, irrespective of the batters. Kishan fell in the 11th over, Abhishek in the 13th, but India’s acceleration wasn’t stalled. Every over had a release shot, either from Suryakumar Yadav—who hit a splendid 13-ball 33—or from Pandya.
Every bowling change was met with recalibration. Spin, often the leveller on Indian surfaces, was introduced too late. India still used their feet intelligently, stretching the field and forcing the bowlers to abandon preferred lengths. When Zimbabwe pulled the field back, India milked the deep with smart placements. When they attacked, the lofted drives came out, clean and decisive.
The first hundred was raised in 9.1 overs but perhaps the most telling phase of India’s batting came in the final ten overs. The platform laid by the top order allowed Pandya and Varma to play without inhibition. There was no rebuilding required, no scramble to recover. It was a calculated assault that targeted Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, and Richard Ngarava. Like the first six overs, India scored 80 runs in the last five overs as well. Zimbabwe used seven bowlers; four of them had an RPO of at least 13.
What made India’s innings dominant wasn’t just the final tally, but the absence of panic. Even the occasional wicket failed to alter rhythm as every incoming batter took off from where the former had left.
Zimbabwe dropped three catches, which didn’t help their cause. They varied the pace by using cross-seam deliveries and attempting wider yorkers. But the gulf in class was so massive that India’s batters had absolutely no problem imposing their supremacy.
The margin of defeat was never really in doubt but India still bowled decently even as opener Brian Bennett battled till the end with an unbeaten 97. Honestly, this match was never supposed to be about India’s bowlers.
Against a Zimbabwe side striving to compete, the target was to execute under pressure. Choosing to chase wasn’t the wisest decision from Zimbabwe but India still had to read the conditions well enough to adjust and do the needful.
The top order gave a quick start, the middle-order amplified the early advantage and the finishers ensured that dominance translated into massive scoreboard pressure. The result was an innings that didn’t just overpower the opposition; it showed how dangerous India can be at their best. Ahead of the do-or-die match against the West Indies, that is exactly what they needed.
