Indian Cricket Team Does This For The 1st Ever Time In The Dressing Room After Zimbabwe Win

Indian Cricket Team [Source: AFP]

Team India created a special moment in the dressing room after their big win over Zimbabwe in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. On Thursday, the Indian Cricket Team made a strong comeback and kept their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. The team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super 8 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Because of India’s win, South Africa qualified for the semifinals, while Zimbabwe were knocked out of the tournament. Therefore, this match turned out to be very important for many teams.

Special celebration in India’s dressing room

Although the win itself was crucial, what happened after the match made it even more memorable. For the first time in this ICC tournament, the India National Cricket Team awarded two players the special “Impact Player of the Match” medals inside the dressing room.

Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma received the honours for their outstanding performances against Zimbabwe at Chepauk. A video shared by the BCCI showed the two young stars being given the prestigious BTS Impact Player medals.

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Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma shine under pressure

After struggling for the past two weeks, Abhishek Sharma finally returned to form in the T20 World Cup 2026. Before this must-win match, he had scored only 15 runs in total, including three ducks. However, this time, he played with confidence and scored 55 runs off just 30 balls. His powerful innings included four sixes and four boundaries. 

At the same time, Tilak Varma played an important finishing role. While Abhishek Sharma gave the India National Cricket Team a flying start, Tilak Varma added the final push, scoring 44* off 16 balls. Together, they helped Indian Cricket Team reach a massive score of 256/4 in 20 overs. Consequently, India set a huge target of 257 runs for Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe fight back but fall short

Even though the target was very high, Zimbabwe did not give up easily. Their opener, Brian Bennett, played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 97 runs. However, despite his efforts, Zimbabwe managed only 184/6 and lost by 72 runs.

Among the Indian bowlers, Arshdeep Singh was the most successful. He picked up 3 wickets for 24 runs in his four overs. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya bowled very economically, giving away just 21 runs each in three overs, although they did not take any wickets. Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube also contributed with one wicket each.

Earlier in the innings, Sanju Samson made an aggressive comeback, scoring 24 runs off 15 balls and hitting a six on just the second ball he faced. His attacking start allowed Abhishek Sharma to settle in and then play freely.

What’s next for team India?

Now, India’s qualification depends on their next match against the West Indies. The match will be played at Eden Gardens on Sunday, March 1.

If the India National Cricket Team win, they will qualify for the semifinals. However, if they lose, they will finish third in Group 1 and be eliminated. Moreover, if rain washes out the match, West Indies will qualify because they have a better net run rate. The Indian Cricket Team's net run rate is -0.100, while West Indies have a strong +1.791.

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