As cricket fans gear up for another exciting India vs Zimbabwe clash in Super 8 stage, it is the perfect time to look back at the last time these two teams
crossed paths on the grandest stage. The two teams last locked horns during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Played on November 6, 2022, at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of a massive crowd of over 82,000 roaring fans, this Super 12 (Group 2) encounter was a must-win for Team India to secure the top spot in their group before heading into the semi-finals.
India vs Zimbabwe: The Only Meet in T20 World Cup
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first. The start was a bit slow, and Rohit was dismissed early for 15 runs. However, opener KL Rahul found his rhythm and smashed a brilliant half-century, scoring 51 off 35 balls to set a solid foundation.
Suryakumar Yadav attacked in the final overs, playing true to his reputation as the world's number one T20 batter at the time, tore into the bowling attack with ease, scoring a blistering unbeaten 61 off just 25 balls, hitting 6 fours and 4 sixes.
Thanks to his spectacular finish, India posted a massive total of 186/5 in their 20 overs. For Zimbabwe, veteran spinner Sean Williams was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 wickets for just 9 runs in his 2 overs.
Chasing 187 against a fiery Indian pace attack was never going to be easy. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh struck early, making the new ball talk. Within the first 8 overs, Zimbabwe was reeling at 36/5. Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya were relentless, giving the batters no room to breathe.
A brief glimmer of hope came in the middle overs when Ryan Burl (35 off 22 balls) and captain Sikandar Raza (34 off 24 balls) stitched together a fighting 60-run partnership. They counter-attacked briefly, even hitting a few boundaries off the spinners.
However, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had the last laugh. He broke the dangerous partnership by bowling out Burl and then quickly cleaned up the tail. Zimbabwe was eventually bowled out for a mere 115 runs in 17.2 overs.
India won the match comprehensively by 71 runs, topping their group and marching straight into the semi-finals against England.
Star Performers of the Match
Player of the Match: Suryakumar Yadav (India) - For his game-changing 61* (25).
Highest Run Scorer (India): Suryakumar Yadav (61* runs) & KL Rahul (51 runs).
Highest Run Scorer (Zimbabwe): Ryan Burl (35 runs).
Highest Wicket Taker (India): Ravichandran Ashwin (3 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs).
Highest Wicket Taker (Zimbabwe): Sean Williams (2 wickets for 9 runs in 2 overs).
Brief Scorecard
India (1st Innings): 186/5 (20 Overs)
Zimbabwe (2nd Innings): 115 All Out (17.2 Overs)
As the teams meet again in the 2026 Super 8 stage, memories of Melbourne 2022 will remind India of their past dominance, but also the need to stay sharp against a rapidly improving Zimbabwe side.
