Chennai: Much before Suryakumar Yadav strode out for the toss on Thursday, India had already heaved a sigh of relief. The calculators were put away and the net run-rate equation shelved, courtesy South Africa’s clinical win over the West Indies earlier in the afternoon. All that India had was a straightforward task: beat Zimbabwe and stay in the race for the semifinals. That clarity lifted a palpable pressure and India came out all guns blazing for a thumping 72-run victory here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Now, the final Super Eight clash between India and the West Indies at the Eden Gardens on Sunday will be a virtual quarterfinal.
India couldn’t have asked for a better way to bounce back after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa. Contributions came from all those who batted as India piled on 256 for four, their highest total in T20 World Cups. Opener Abhishek Sharma, who had made three ducks in a row earlier, roared back to form with a 30-ball 55 and swashbuckler Hardik Pandya provided the fireworks with an unbeaten 50 off 23 balls. The capacity crowd was treated to a scintillating six-hitting show. India had a staggering tally of 17 sixes, their another Cup record, while Zimbabwe scored 11.
Opener Brian Bennett waged a lone battle for Zimbabwe, scoring an unbeaten 97 off 59 balls and hitting six sixes, but the mountainous target proved insurmountable.
Earlier, the new opening combination — the right-left pairing of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma — signalled intent from the outset
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