Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium is set to host a high-stakes Super 8 clash in the T20 World Cup 2026 between India and Zimbabwe on Thursday evening at 7 PM. For Team India, a commanding victory is non-negotiable to keep their semifinal dreams alive after a shocking 76-run defeat to South Africa in their opening Super 8 game.
That loss has put India in a precarious position, making this matchup against Zimbabwe a must-win. The team is likely to shuffle its playing XI, with batting woes at the forefront. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, along with middle-order batter Rinku Singh, have struggled throughout the tournament, failing miserably against South Africa too.
Enter Sanju Samson, who could replace one of the underperformers. Versatile enough to open or bat in the middle order, Samson has seen limited action in this World Cup—just one group-stage outing against Namibia where he smashed 22 off 8 balls. A spot in the XI against Zimbabwe could be his big break.
For Samson, facing Zimbabwe evokes nostalgia. It was against them on July 19, 2015, that he made his T20I debut. Eleven years later, fate offers another shot at glory with the same opponent. A match-winning knock here could cement his place and steer India towards the semifinals.
Samson’s T20I record speaks volumes: in 58 matches and 50 innings, he’s notched up 1,100 runs, including three centuries and three half-centuries. With India’s campaign hanging by a thread, all eyes are on whether the Kerala dasher can rise as the hero India desperately needs.