India delivered a commanding performance in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8, thrashing Zimbabwe by 72 runs at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Batting first,
the Men in Blue exploded to 256/4-the second-highest total in tournament history, and then restricted the Zimbabweans to secure their first points in the Super Eight.
It sets up a high-stakes, virtual quarter-final clash against the West Indies on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. A win for India secures their knockout spot; a loss ends their title defense.
India can't take West Indies lightly: Sunil Gavaskar
West Indies, who lost against South Africa, are in a similar spot. And that makes the encounter even more enticing, as the two teams lock horns, it will be a virtual quarterfinal. And amid this, India legend Sunil Gavaskar has warned team India not to take West Indies lightly.
"West Indies is a completely different challenge. They cannot be taken for granted. Their batters are in top form. Their bowlers are doing well. They punish opposition mistakes and strike at the right time. India will need a good plan to handle the West Indies batting threat. Their batters start playing shots from ball one. They do not wait to see if the delivery needs respect. Their way of respecting the ball is by hitting it over the ropes. So India will have to play smart, come up with plans, and outfox West Indies in a way they do not expect. Sunday's match is surely going to be a cracking one," Gavaskar said at Star Sports after the match.
Sanju-Abhishek Combination is the way to Move Forward
Gavaskar also praised the inclusion of Sanju Samson and the importance of a left-right combination at the top. Sanju and Abhishek added 48 runs in the opening wicket against Zimbabwe, highest for India in this T20 World Cup.
"But India were broken against South Africa. They realised they needed a right-left combination at the top. Learning from the previous game was very important," he added.
