Strike-rate problem? Not anymore. India smash Zimbabwe, shatter records to keep semi-final hopes alive

Perth, Australia – India answered every lingering question about intent and tempo with a record-shredding 256 for four against Zimbabwe on Thursday night, a total that not only keeps their T20 World Cup semi-final dream intact but also rewrites the tournament’s history books.

The 256 is India’s highest ever in a T20 World Cup, eclipsing a string of sub-par totals that had cast doubt on their ability to accelerate when it matters. The innings featured 17 sixes, tying India’s own benchmark set against Australia at Gros Islet in 2024 and lifting their tournament tally to 63 – the most they have ever cleared the rope in a single edition. Only the West Indies, on 66, sit above them in the six-hitting charts.

What separated this assault from past efforts was the uniformity of carnage. All six Indian batters who spent time at the crease scored at better than a-run-a-ball, each passing 20 at a strike rate above 150 – the first instance in T20 World Cup history that six or more players have done so in the same innings. Dot balls were virtually outlawed; just 26 arrived across 20 overs, equalling the fewest ever recorded in a completed World Cup innings.

Abhishek Sharma, three ducks removed from a recent illness lay-off, jump-started the mayhem with a 26-ball fifty. Sanju Samson’s early boundary-hitting ensured Zimbabwe could not settle, Ishan Kishan carried the baton through the middle phase, and the finish was pure brutality. Hardik Pandya muscled an unbeaten fifty, while Tilak Varma – whose strike rate had been under the microscope – detonated 44 from 16 deliveries at 275, part of an 80-run final-five-overs blitz that removed the contest from Zimbabwe’s reach.

Zimbabwe’s reply carried a gem of its own. Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 97, the second highest individual score against India in T20 World Cups behind Chris Gayle’s 98 in 2010, briefly threatened to turn the chase into a classic. His 26-run over off Shivam Dube left the all-rounder with figures of 0 for 46 after just two overs – the most runs ever conceded by a bowler at that stage of a T20 World Cup match.

Yet the mountain proved too steep. India’s earlier statement had already echoed around the ground: a team that absorbed a heavy defeat to South Africa only days ago had re-engineered its DNA, trading caution for calculated assault and keeping their semi-final destiny in their own hands.