Chennai: The Indian cricket team scripted a historic chapter at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, February 26, 2026, by posting the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history during their Super-8 clash against Zimbabwe. In a breathtaking display of power-hitting at the Chepauk, India amassed a colossal 256 for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs. While Zimbabwe offered a spirited response, they eventually fell short, finishing at 184 for six, allowing India to secure a commanding 72-run victory. The match saw a combined aggregate of 440 runs, making it the second-highest-scoring game in the history of the tournament, trailing only the 2016 encounter between South Africa and England.
India’s innings was defined by an aggressive approach from the very beginning, as the team recorded its third-highest powerplay total in World Cup history by reaching 80 for no loss within the first six overs. The onslaught continued throughout the innings, with the Indian batters collectively clearing the ropes 17 times. This set a new national record for the most sixes in a single T20 World Cup innings, surpassing the previous best of 15 set against Australia in 2024. Furthermore, India’s tournament tally of sixes has now reached 63, placing them just three behind the West Indies’ all-time record of 66 for a single edition. This performance also marked the fifth time India has crossed the 200-run mark in the T20 World Cup, placing them second on the all-time list behind South Africa.
A standout performance came from vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who solidified his reputation as one of the game’s premier finishers. By scoring yet another half-century, Pandya now holds the record for the most fifties scored at the number five position or lower in T20 World Cup history, with four such scores. His ability to accelerate in the death overs has been a cornerstone of India’s success, allowing him to overtake established veterans like Shoaib Malik, David Miller, and Marcus Stoinis in this specialized category. His contributions have become a vital part of the strategic depth that defines this current Indian lineup.
Despite the heavy defeat, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza achieved a historic personal milestone by becoming only the second player in T20 International history to record both 3,000 runs and 100 wickets. Raza joined Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh in this elite all-rounder club, providing a glimmer of brilliance in an otherwise difficult outing for the African nation. However, Zimbabwe’s bowling unit struggled significantly against the Indian surge, with Richard Ngarava conceding 62 runs in his four overs, the most expensive spell ever delivered by a Zimbabwean bowler in this format. Additionally, debutant Tinotenda Maposa surrendered 23 runs in his opening over, marking the second-most expensive debut over in the tournament’s history.
The victory not only bolsters India’s standing in the Super-8 stage but also reinforces their status as the most dangerous batting lineup in the competition. The blend of early-innings aggression and middle-order clinical finishing has made them the team to beat as the tournament progresses toward the knockout stages. As the dust settles on this high-scoring thriller in Chennai, fans and analysts alike are marveling at a game that came within just four runs of breaking the all-time tournament total record set by Sri Lanka in 2007
