Day 20 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 saw two games being played. The first match of the day was between South Africa and the West Indies in Ahmedabad.
The 2024 finalists played with great intent as they beat West Indies by 9 wickets to secure a place in the semi-finals. The action then shifted to Chennai where India took on Zimbabwe. Having lost their previous match against South Africa, this became a must-win match for the defending champions. India bounced back in style and notched a victory by 72 runs to remain in contention for a semi-finals.
Here is a look at the top performers of the day:
1. Lungi Ngidi and Aiden Markram for South Africa: Lungi Ngidi continued to impress in the ongoing tournament as he bowled a brilliant spell of 3/30. The pacer picked the wickets of Brandon King, Rovman Powell and Roston Chase to dent the West Indies innings. The three wickets took Ngidi's wicket-tally for the tournament to 11. While Ngidi's wickets were crucial in stopping West Indies to a manageable score, Aiden Markram's whirlwind knock of 82 not out in 46 balls ensured that the Proteas had little hiccups in the chase. Markram smashed seven fours and four sixes in a breathless display of T20 batting.
2. Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya for India: Records tumbled as India posted a gigantic score of 256/4 against Zimbabwe. Indian batters made the most of batting friendly conditions and hit shots at will. Two players played crucial roles in the Indian innings. Firstly Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed was under serious pressure heading into this match considering three ducks he had in the tournament. But the youngster made his bat do all the talking as he hit his first T20 World Cup fifty and gave India a brisk start. Towards the later half of the Indian innings Hardik Pandya too hit a half-century. Pandya then bowled three overs and conceded only 21 runs.
While South Africa have qualified for the semifinals, India now need to beat the West Indies in their final Super Eight match to punch their ticket into the semis. The India-West Indies match will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 1.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026: India Score 256/4 Vs Zimbabwe, Shatter Multiple Records
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