T20 World Cup news: Ace Indian batsmen Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma helped the ‘Men in Blue’ persist in the semifinals race of the T20 World Cup, as the team trounced Zimbabwe by 72 runs in Chennai on Thursday. The victory has kept India in contention for a semifinal berth from Group 1.

Abhishek Sharma’s half-century, Pandya’s explosive finishing bear a sweet fruit

Notably, India logged their highest total in the T20 World Cup history, by clocking 256 runs at a loss of 4 wickets. Abhishek Sharma scored 55 runs, while Hardik Pandya delivered a power-packed performance towards the end of the match to make the victory fall in India’s kitty.

In just 26 deliveries, Sharma secured 50 runs and also managed to slam the off-spin, an area which used to trouble him previously.

Tilak, Pandya bring surge later in the match

Where India crossed the 100-run mark in 9.1 overs, they achieved the upcoming 100 runs in just 7.3 overs. Pandya stood firm with 50 runs off 23 balls, while Tilak Varma struck 44 runs from just 16 deliveries. In the last five overs, the duo hammered 80 runs and made the Indian team finish at 256.

Despite Bennett’s efforts, Zimbabwe falls short

Zimbabwe, in a bid to outnumber India, managed to log 184 runs by losing 6 wickets. Opener Brian Bennett delivered a stellar performance by clocking 97 runs off 59 balls, but lacked support from his teammates, and Zimbabwe faced defeat by 72 runs.