That is some terrific save from Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza at wide long-on. Hardik Pandya smashed the Ryan Burl delivery powerfully, but the ball lacked elevation. Raza caught the ball with his right hand and then threw it inside before crossing the ropes.

IND 161-3 (14)

Abhishek Sharma has been caught at long-on. He departs after scoring 55 off 30 balls. This innings will give the southpaw a lot of confidence as he was having a really poor tournament before this game. His scored in T20 World Cup 2026 are - 0, 0, 0, 15 and 55 (most recent).

Abhishek Sharma c Sikandar Raza b Tinotenda Maposa 55(30)

IND 150-3 (12.5)

Brad Evans concedes nine runs in his second over. Suryakumar Yadav had his catch dropped on the fifth ball. Blessing Muzarabani was the culprit at fine leg. He not only dropped the catch but also let the ball slip away for a four.

IND 134-2 (12)

10.4 - Sikandar Raza has dismissed Ishan Kishan! The Zimbabwe captain bowls it wide of off and Kishan cuts it to backward point. That is the end of an entertaining knock from the India southpaw.

Ishan Kishan c Richard Ngarava b Sikandar Raza 38(24)

Abhishek Sharma has slammed his fifty in 26 balls. That is the first one for the Indian opener in the T20 World Cup. It took a lot of time for him — three ducks, then a 15, and now this fifty. Anyway, better late than never!

IND 110-1 (10.1)

9.1 - Ishan Kishan has a catch dropped at deep point. The southpaw goes for a reverse sweep and plays it towards the fielder in the deep, but is lucky that it is dropped! Kishan gets to the other end with a single and India race to 100.

Ishan Kishan jumps out of his crease and the bat slips out of his hands as he pulls the ball on the leg side. The shot still has enough power to throw the ball to the deep mid-wicket fence for a four.

IND 94-1 (8.1)

Only four singles came off that over! That is an excellent start for Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza. He was extremely expensive in the previous game against the West Indies, but has started economically here.

IND 84-1 (7)

17 runs came off the over from Richard Ngarava! That is the end of the Powerplay. India's batting has finally lived up to its reputation in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The hosts have scored 80 runs in the first six overs. Abhishek Sharma is 33 off 13, while Ishan Kishan is batting on 15 off 9.

IND 80-1 (6)

Abhishek Sharma continues to deal in boundaries. He smashed Brad Evans for a six and a four. India are going really well despite losing Sanju Samson. They have crossed 60 with one more over left in the Powerplay.

IND 63-1 (5)

OUT! Sanju Samson perishes after a really fine start! The slower ball does the trick for Blessing Muzarabani. He pitched it short and completely deceived Samson. The batter tried to create room for himself and pulled the ball but failed to get enough power behind the shot. Ryan Burl took a superb catch running to his right.

Sanju Samson c Ryan Burl b Blessing Muzarabani 24(15)

IND 48-1 (3.4)

Tinotenda Maposa was brought into the attack, replacing Richard Ngarava, but he too leaked runs; in fact, he bowled the most expensive over of the first three. Twenty‑three runs came off it as Abhishek Sharma slammed two fours and a six. Sanju Samson also smashed a four.

IND 46-0 (3)

Ten runs came off this over from Blessing Muzarabani. Sanju Samson smashed the pacer for a six to the wide long-on region on the fourth ball of the over. He is firing on all cylinders, having scored 18 off 11 balls.

IND 23-0 (2)

1.3 - Abhishek Sharma gets off the mark with a single on the off‑side. It was a back‑of‑a‑length ball from Blessing Muzarabani outside the off‑stump, and the southpaw punched it to the off‑side for one. Sunil Gavaskar was impressed with his approach. “Sensible,” he said.

This is a really good start for India. Sanju Samson smashed Richard Ngarava for nine runs in the over while India also got a boundary through leg bye. A total of 13 came off it.

IND 13-0 (1)

0.2 - That is a good shot from Sanju Samson for a SIX! He and India are off the mark with that maximum. Richard Ngarava bowled a back‑of‑a‑length delivery, and Samson slapped it over mid-off for the maximum.

The suspense ends! India have taken a huge call at the top. Abhishek Sharma has been joined by Sanju Samson, not Ishan Kishan! This strategy has been adopted only to counter the issue of having too many left-handed batters at the top.

Both teams are lined up for their respective national anthems. Zimbabwe start first, and India follow them. We are only four minutes away from the start of the action. Don’t go anywhere — stay connected!

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma is ready to bat. He is padded up in the dugout, currently washing his face with water. Abhishek is all alone there. Who will open the batting with him tonight remains a matter of suspense!

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

"We're going to have a bowl. Not your usual Chennai wicket. Looks moist, want to give the best chance to the seamers. If we can restrict India to a low total, will go a long way. As much as we're feeling the heat, our opposition will be feeling the same. It's holding on alright. One tactical change, Cremer misses out," said Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza.

Axar Patel and Sanju Samson are in for Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh, informed India captain Suryakumar Yadav at the toss.

Suryakumar also said, "Happy with the decision, were looking to bat first. Boys are ready. Mood in the camp is relaxed. The way he spoke in the huddle (Hardik), experienced player, he knows what he brings to the table. Team required that and I think we'll have a good day tonight. Even if you win or lose, you learn something out of it. Just forget what happened in the last game. Play the same way as you've been playing last whole year. Enjoy the game and forget everything. Be fearless."

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has won the toss and opted to bowl against India in their must-win T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai tonight. 

South Africa have almost qualified for the semi-finals. They could confirm a berth for themselves if India beat Zimbabwe tonight. It is time for Suryakumar Yadav and Co. to return the favour to the Proteas! Toss coming up in seven minutes.

South Africa have defeated the West Indies by nine wickets. They chased down a 177-run target in 16.1 overs. This is a massive result in India's favour. This outcome ensures that India now have their fate in their own hands. If they win both their matches, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. will surely make it to the semifinals!

Abhishek Sharma continues to have a poor tournament. After registering three consecutive ducks, he scored 15 runs against South Africa. The southpaw will be raring to score big against Zimbabwe tonight.

Despite calls to rest Abhishek Sharma against Zimbabwe, former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has issued a strong plea to the Indian team management. Faf has thrown his weight behind Abhishek, saying that the management should give him a few more chances before making any decision.

"There will be 1000 opinions, 50 coaches. Everyone will want to give their 5 cents to Abhishek and the way he should bat. And it's a tough place to be if you're a young guy, 25 years old, in your first World Cup with so many expectations. He has bossed the last year, smashed every bowling attack all over the place," du Plessis told ESPNcricinfo.

"He has been unbelievable the last two-three years in the IPL. He whacks bowling attacks all over the ground. He is the newer generation of T20 cricketer who doesn't actually have to worry about defence. He has so many attacking options. The key for him now is, how do you keep the noise out? How do you make sure you focus on your strengths, your game, and keep your mind as clear as possible? Because there is a lot of noise going on when a player is in this state. I have no doubt, give him a couple more innings, the youngster will come through, and he will have an amazing innings somewhere in this World Cup," he added.

Former India batter Virender Sehwag has urged the team management to drop Abhishek Sharma for the game against Zimbabwe. He feels India should pick players based on form for the must-win match.

"If I was there, I would have given Abhishek Sharma a break and try Sanju Samson instead. This is the only match where you can try, because if India lose this game, then they are out. Since this is such an important match, India have to pick their best playing XI on the basis of form," Sehwag said during a discussion on Cricbuzz.

Former India captain Anil Kumble has warned the Suryakumar Yadav-led side not to take Zimbabwe lightly. He also urged the team to play their natural, aggressive brand of cricket.

"India need to play their natural, aggressive brand of cricket against Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe are going to be a tough opponent, and they must be respected. They have delivered some strong performances. They beat Australia. They chased down 179 against Sri Lanka on Sri Lankan soil.

"They have convincingly beaten Australia. Their top four batters have been in excellent form. Their tall fast bowlers, Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans, have been outstanding with the ball, especially in the powerplay," Kumble said on JioHotstar.

Chepauk offers considerable amount of dew in the second innings during this period, making batting easier and bowling equally tough under such conditions. To maintain fairness throughout the game, the stadium is using a new imported chemical known as 'Dew Cure' to fight the challenge, claimed a report. Giving details, it added that the chemical has been brought from the United States.

While India suffered a 76-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in their first Super Eight match of the T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe were thrashed by a 107-run margin by the West Indies. Such big losses have dented the net run rate of both India and Zimbabwe.

Will India be making changes in their batting line-up? The team has plenty of left-handed batters in the top order, giving opposition sides a clear opportunity to attack with an off-spinner at the start of the innings. With an aim to counter it, the hosts might rope in right-handed wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson in the playing XI. But who will make way for him if it happens? Tilak Varma, most likely.

Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder helped West Indies make a superb recovery and post a competitive total of 176/8 against South Africa. The duo shared an 89-run stand off 57 balls. Shepherd scored 52 not out, while Holder hit 49. Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers for the Proteas with figures of 3 for 30.

India Squad: Ishan Kishan(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson.

Zimbabwe Squad: Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Ben Curran, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Wellington Masakadza.

India must be having their focus on the ongoing South Africa vs West Indies T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight game taking place in Ahmedabad. If the Windies lose the contest, the Suryakumar Yadav and Co. will have their fate in their own hands. They will then need to win against Zimbabwe and the Windies to qualify for the semifinal.

In case the Windies beat South Africa, India would need to defeat both Zimbabwe and the Shai Hope-led side by massive margins. In that scenario, both India and the West Indies will finish on four points, with the team having the better net run rate progressing to the semifinal.

Hello everyone, welcome to the live blog of the India vs Zimbabwe T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight match. The crucial encounter will take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai tonight. Stay connected for the live score and updates related to the game.