Boxes have been ticked with clinical efficiency by South Africa in the ongoing T20 World Cup. With six straight wins, it is the only undefeated side in the competition, and barring a cliffhanger against Afghanistan in the group stage that required a second Super Over to be the final arbiter, there has been a resounding tone to all its other triumphs.

Judging by its recent run, a Super Eight contest against neighbour Zimbabwe at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Sunday (February 29, 2026) should be straightforward. That said, with a semifinal on the horizon, this isn’t the time for Aiden Markram and Co. to take the foot off the pedal.

Glancing through the Proteas contingent, the lack of over-reliance on any one member has been striking. In the batting department, the top six of Markram, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs have all come up with effervescent contributions.

Read | Kagiso Rabada: Glad we won against Afghanistan otherwise I would have blamed myself

West Indies’s Roston Chase is clean bowled by South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi during their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Thursday February 26, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

Similarly, the bowling unit has blended like a symphony orchestra. Lungi Ngidi deserves a special mention, for he has been a revelation with his cunning mix of slower balls.

In addition, the fact that South Africa has played all its games till now at just two venues — Ahmedabad and Delhi — has allowed the players to get a good grasp of the conditions.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, has had to move from the relatively slower pitches in Sri Lanka to the more batting-friendly decks in India. Having vanquished Australia and Sri Lanka in the island nation, the gulf in class that Sikandar Raza’s men need to bridge with the top teams has been apparent in the Super Eight phase.

Zimbabwe’s bowlers were pummeled by the West Indies for 254 runs in Mumbai, and then taken for 256 by India in Chennai.

Before the Zimbabweans return to more mundane settings, one more chance to match up to the big boys awaits.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said he was surprised to see Abhishek Sharma play a defensive stroke, praising the explosive opener for silencing his critics with a timely half-century against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup.

Since returning from a stomach bug, Abhishek looked a distant shadow of his dominating self, registering three ducks in a row.

However, on Thursday, Abhishek snapped the lean patch, scoring a 30-ball 55 in India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe to signal a return to form.

“We know how good Abhishek Sharma is as a batter. He silenced his doubters with this knock of 55 runs against Zimbabwe,” Gavaskar told JioStar.

“He took that extra time to start his innings. There was a method to his batting. He respected the off spinner, didn’t take any kind of risks and played in a calm and a composed manner.” “In this game, he actually played a defensive shot. He defended the ball. I was surprised to see that because we don’t usually see Abhishek do that,” Gavaskar added.

The legendary batter said it has been a learning curve for Abhishek, whose batting exploits are at the forefront of India’s attack.

“I really think this is a learning curve for him. Every cricketer goes through a rough patch of not scoring runs in back-to-back games. It is about how much you learn from it,” Gavaskar said.

“I feel Abhishek has learned a lot and this will augur well for him going forward, in the next couple of games and the all-important clash against West Indies in Kolkata.” Gavaskar said India appeared a “broken” side against South Africa but learnt quickly from their mistakes to bring Sanju Samson back at the top to ensure a right hand-left hand combination.

“As they say, why fix things if it ain’t broke? 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 said.

“In the interest of the team, he (Samson) went for a big hit and got out. That is fine because he got India off to a flying start. In a tournament like the T20 World Cup, that is important. A flying start gives a nice platform for the other batters to come in and smash the ball around.”

Gavaskar said India will have to be wary of West Indies’ all-round firepower as the two teams meet in a virtual knockout game in Kolkata on Sunday.

“(The) 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,” Gavaskar said.

“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.”

In front of the press box, fans were composing ditties and singing with gusto. Their subject of affection were the Indian players ranging from Sanju Samson to Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav to Tilak Varma, and when Arshdeep Singh fielded close to the ropes, he too was serenaded.

Thursday (February 26, 2026) night in Chennai at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was all about joy rippling through the stands as India emphatically defeated Zimbabwe, and kept its semifinal hopes alive in the ICC T20 World Cup. The sporting crowd, a quintessential Chepauk tradition, also cheered Brian Bennett’s valiant unbeaten 97.

India, meanwhile, fine-tuned its team composition. The strategy of three left-handers atop the batting tree causing a predictable off-spin counter, was dealt with effectively. Right-hander Samson added zest with his 24.

However, the opener falling on the pull seems to be a pattern, and if he could rectify that, the defending champion would be better served. Abhishek Sharma too found his voice through a 55 and Tilak striding in at number six, was at his effervescent best. And when Hardik Pandya clicks with the bat, it lends a halo to this Indian outfit.

The all-rounder’s unbeaten 50 added further momentum as Suryakumar’s men enjoyed their stint in the park. But as the championship narrows down to the last stage, better opposition attacks need to be countered, and for the moment, India seems to have locked in its batting order with Hardik being the floater.

On a batting-friendly surface, the Indian bowlers had to be at their best. While most kept their end of the bargain, especially Arshdeep, Shivam Dube suffered the horrors. He may have run into an aggressive Bennett but it only got worse as he bowled two no-balls and a wide.

After the match, Dube had a stint in the nets, working on his lines. The all-rounder has to tighten a bit but as a package, he offers value. Triumphant World Cup campaigns are all about units finding their cohesive whole closer to the final, India is on it now. More evidence could be gleaned from its clash against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday (March 1, 2026).

That there is a tough life beyond sport also became obvious as Rinku Singh had to grapple with the news of his father’s demise. In the 1999 World Cup in England, Sachin Tendulkar dealt with a similar fate. Life, the regular and the sporting, just goes on.

Arshdeep Singh is candid by nature and funny by default. It was no surprise, then, that a throng of sports scribes swarmed the left-arm pacer, thrusting recording devices forward, as he walked into the mixed zone at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

“I thought you guys were going to beat me up,” Arshdeep quipped, setting the ball rolling.

Even as the conversation veered into technical territory, Arshdeep retained his wit and humour.

The 27-year-old understands that T20s are tough on bowlers. “I try to keep things simple. Some days are good and some days are not, and I make peace with it,” he said after India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe on Thursday.

Asked if he was trying to improve anything specific, he added: “[I’m] trying to control the urge to bowl bad balls. Yes, mainly that.”

Arshdeep’s three for 24 against Zimbabwe made him the Men in Blue’s leading wicket-taker (35 scalps) in T20 World Cup history, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah (33).

“Even if we go for runs, it’s not a problem. Our gameplan has been like this for the last two years. We score a lot and try to defend it. So as long as we keep getting pitches on which our batters can play freely, we [bowlers] are more than happy to do the dirty job.”

The Punjab bowler thanked South Africa for beating West Indies, a result that eased some pressure on India’s title defence.

“My family was in the room when the WI batters were hitting, papa gaali dete the ki kya kar raha hai (father was abusing what are they doing). So I was like, ‘it’s okay, don’t be angry and just enjoy the match and hope South Africa wins, and we also win our remaining matches.’ Thank you to South Africa for giving us the chance to decide our result… now we will try to not lose in the finals,” he said.

Asked if the West Indies’ aggressive approach might backfire against India, Arshdeep said: “It’s not really [just] one gear. They played really well in the middle overs [against South Africa] and took the game deep. It shows they can adapt to the situation”.

The template of posting massive runs and capitalising on the resultant scoreboard pressure on the rival was executed to a nicety as India owned the night. The host’s cause was also helped by Zimbabwe’s decision to field on winning the toss.

Follow the highlights India vs Zimbabwe

At a raucous M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, the defending champion prevailed over Sikandar Raza’s men by 72 runs in the ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight Group 1 match here on Thursday (February 26, 2026). India’s 256 for four proved too high a peak, and Zimbabwe finished with 184 for six.

Openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani consolidated initially, and after the latter was dismissed by Axar Patel, the former shifted gears. The left-arm spinner was clattered past and over the ropes but Varun Chakaravarthy prised out Dion Myers.

Assault on Dube

The visitors, though, leant on Bennett (97 n.o.) and he reached his fifty, clouting Jasprit Bumrah for six. He was brutal on Shivam Dube in an over that cost 26 runs. Raza allied with Bennett for a while, before Arshdeep Singh grabbed three wickets, and India stayed dominant.

Earlier, the crowd rooted for Sanju Samson, the latest recruit of the Chennai Super Kings, and Abhishek Sharma too had his fans. The openers set a frenzied pace with Samson hoisting Richard Ngavara. Blessing Muzarabani too suffered the same fate as Samson galloped.

Meanwhile, Abhishek drilled Tinotenda Maposa past covers, and then lofted high.

However, Samson found his pull finding the fielder in the deep. India already had 48 in 3.4 overs, and immediately, southpaws Abhishek and Ishan Kishan forged a partnership yielding 72 from 42 deliveries.

The Men in Blue were on the ascendant, and hearteningly for them, Abhishek (55) found his mojo. There was a sliver of luck when Kishan was dropped on 26 as Tashinga Musekiwa failed to hold on.

A relieved Kishan hit Raza for a four and a six, and then edged the spinner and retreated.

Suryakumar Yadav strode in and shuffled around for his scoops. Dropped on eight by Muzarabani, the skipper watched Abhishek leave, but the merry streak continued as Hardik Pandya (50 n.o.) sauntered in.

The all-rounder launched Ryan Burl into the skies, and after Suryakumar departed, Tilak Varma lit up the skies with luminous shots. There was power and disdain as the left-hander waded into the rival attack and India’s firm grip on the contest never wavered despite Bennett’s lone-warrior act.

Harry Brook fancied a promotion to No. 3 and struck a superb century (100, 51b, 10×4, 4×6) to drag England to a two-wicket win over Pakistan in their T20 World Cup Super Eight match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).

Brook became the first captain to notch up a ton in the history of the tournament, ensuring his team was not left to rue the three wickets it lost in the PowerPlay. England got to the 165-run target with five balls to spare and sealed its place in the semifinals.

Standing tall

Walking in after Phil Salt was caught behind off Shaheen Afridi off the first ball of the innings, Brook added 41 of the 53 runs in the first six overs and was unfazed despite a flurry of wickets.

He picked 17 off Shadab Khan in the 11th over, which included a heave into the sightscreen and two boundaries with a sweep and a slog sweep.

By the time Brook lofted successive deliveries over covers off Afridi in the 17th over to bring up a 50-ball hundred, and perished one delivery later to the same bowler, the result was merely a formality.

England, though, had to survive a few anxious moments to register its second successive win in the Super Eight. Pakistan, on the other hand, has just a solitary point from two games and is staring at elimination.

That Pakistan was in the game at the innings break was again down to Sahibzada Farhan’s single-handed effort. He negotiated the skiddy bounce of Jofra Archer, launching him over point with a slash before riding the bounce inside his crease to pummel through midwicket.

Taking note of the crashing tempo after a 23-ball boundary drought, Farhan and Fakhar Zaman provided timely momentum by taking 27 off Will Jacks’s two overs.

Vital strike

Farhan’s impending change in gears was averted by Jamie Overton, who pinned him in front off a full-length delivery.

Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz perished to blind slogging against Liam Dawson, starting a slump that brought Pakistan crashing from 146 for five to 149 for eight.

Shadab’s 11-ball 23 saw that Pakistan lasted the full 20 overs and got to 164 for nine, but in the end that was not enough.

The scores: Pakistan 164/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Jofra Archer 2/32, Jamie Overton 2/26, Liam Dawson 3/24) lost to England 166/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Shaheen Afridi 4/30, Mohammad Nawaz 2/26, Usman Tariq 2/31).

Toss: Pakistan; PoM: Brook.