T20 World Cup 2026 - Sanju Samson’s Batting Brilliance In Chennai Draws Sunil Gavaskar’s Admiration: 'It Tells You The Class Of The Man'

T20 World Cup 2026: India clinched a resounding 72-run win over Zimbabwe in the Super Four fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, February 26.

Hardik Pandya was named Player of the Match following his stunning unbeaten knock of 50 runs from 23 balls at a strike rate of 217.39. He hammered two fours and four sixes during his time at the crease.

However, it was Sanju Samson who stole the spotlight at the iconic Chepauk Stadium. Making a stupendous comeback, Samson scored 24 runs from 15 balls at a strike rate of 160.00, hitting one four and two sixes.

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Speaking on Star Sports, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar showered praise on Samson for his fiery knock. He highlighted Samson’s six over long off, noting that it is not easy to play such a shot off the back foot. Gavaskar added that Samson’s shot selection reflects his class.

“That six which Sanju Samson hit off the back foot straight over long off was amazing. It is not an easy shot to play off the back foot. You usually play towards mid-wicket or thereabouts. Then he hit another six over long on. Wonderful shots. It tells you the class of the man. In the interest of the team, he 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.

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Coming to the match, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl, but Sikandar Raza’s decision did not pay off.

The Indian batting lineup displayed a scintillating performance, with contributions from everyone. In the end, it was Hardik Pandya (50* off 23 balls) and Tilak Varma (44* off 16 balls) whose clutch performances powered the Men in Blue to a massive total of 256/4.

In the chase, Brian Bennett carried Zimbabwe almost single-handedly with a stunning 97-run knock from 59 balls at a strike rate of 164.41. However, his effort was not enough to secure victory.

India’s bowling attack looked below par and could have restricted Zimbabwe much earlier. Nevertheless, the Men in Blue managed to seal a 72-run win after bowling Zimbabwe out for 184.