Zimbabwe managed 184/6 in response to India's 256/4 in Chennai.
India was asked to bat first by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza. Abhishek Sharma returned to form with 55 runs, while Sanju Samson (24) and Ishan Kishan (38) made quick runs from the other end. Suryakumar Yadav continued the momentum with a 13-ball 33.
However, Hardik Pandya’s 50* in 23 balls and Tilak Varma’s 44* in 16 balls led India to their highest T20 World Cup total of 256/4 in 20 overs.
In response, Zimbabwe made 184/6, with Brian Bennett impressing one and all with 97* with 8 fours and 6 sixes, while Sikandar Raza made 31 runs. India won by 72 runs and will now face the West Indies in a must-win game to qualify for the semis.
Meanwhile, the focus was on Bennett as he impressed with his composure and ability to accelerate when needed in his 59-ball knock. He hit shots all around the Chepauk Stadium, and during the post-match press conference, Bennett was asked about the same by an Indian journalist.
However, a moment of confusion and hilarity happened as the Zimbabwe batter failed to understand what the journo was asking him.
“Bennett had a good chance to score a century. A century in the World Cup is always special. Why didn’t your batters give him a chance to score a century?” the journalist asked Bennett.
However, Bennett couldn’t understand the question and pardoned himself. The journalist then stated, "It's sorry to stand on 97."
Thinking that the journalist was asking his name, the Zimbabwean replied, "I'm Bennett," much to the laughter in the media room.
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"Yeah, it would have been nice. Cricket is just like that sometimes; I'm not always going to get to that landmark. I'm just grateful for today, to get out there and put on a good innings, but I couldn’t get over the line... 250 (257) was going to be a tough one to win,” the 22-year-old told reporters on his knock.
On the lack of substantial partnerships during the chase, Bennett said, "I just told them when they came in—listen, if you see the ball, just hit the ball. Don't worry about what I want, don't worry about me; just you do your thing, and then that's what the conversations are about.”
Zimbabwe had come into the Super 8s with wins over Australia and Sri Lanka in the group stages, but ended up conceding consecutive scores of over 250 in two games now. They’ll face South Africa in their final Super 8s game on March 1.