Abhishek Sharma slammed 26-ball fifty against Zimbabwe in musty-win match
He smashed three fours and four sixes during his half-century
India need to win against Zimbabwe to stay alive in the comepetition
Abhishek Sharma finally broke the shackles with a blistering off 26-ball half-century to give India a blasting start against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
He slammed three fours and four sixes during his 26-ball fifty.
Abhishek Sharma was India's best batter before the T20 World Cup and was expected that the World No.1 batter would light up the tournament with the bat.
However, what unravelled in the tournament was contrary to the high expectations of the Indian fans as the southpaw got off to two ducks in the first two matches and got out cheaply for 15 in a high-stakes clash against South Africa.
Abhishek Sharma finally looked in fine touch for the first time in the tournament in the do-or-die clash against Zimbabwe.
Sanju Samson Effect
India went to their former opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson and it paid immediate dividends as they got the team to a 48-run stand off 3.4 overs in a must-win match.
Sanju Samson provided a fiery start to the team with a 15-ball 24. The Kerala opener, hit two sixes and a boundary during his short and crisp innings and provided India with a fine opening start - something that was missing in the World Cup.
Earlier, South Africa demolished the West Indies by 9 wickets to make the road to the semi-finals simple for the India team. Their blasting win has removed the net run-rate from the equation as India just need to win their remaining two matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies to secure a semi-final berth in the T20 World Cup.
