Arshdeep overtakes Bumrah as India crush Zimbabwe by 72 runs

In a night charged with records and raw dominance, Arshdeep Singh eclipsed Jasprit Bumrah to become India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history, spearheading a thumping 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on February 26.

Under the lights at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Arshdeep delivered a decisive spell of 3/24 in four overs, helping restrict Zimbabwe to 184/6 in reply to India’s towering 256/4.

In doing so, the left-arm seamer moved past Bumrah’s tally of 33 T20 World Cup wickets, climbing to 35 scalps in just 19 innings. His remarkable average of 14.25 and economy rate of 7.33 underline a rise that has been both swift and sustained on the biggest stage.

Precision at the death

Arshdeep began with discipline, conceding just four runs in his opening over with the new ball. Though his second over cost nine, he returned at the death to rip through Zimbabwe’s middle order.

He broke the backbone of the chase by dismissing Sikandar Raza (31 off 21), caught at long-on in the 17th over. Two balls later, he trapped Ryan Burl lbw for a duck, snuffing out any lingering resistance. In his final over, he clean-bowled Tony Munyonga (11 off 6) to cap off a clinical performance.

Arshdeep now stands as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing edition as well, with eight wickets in five innings at an average of 16 and an economy of 7.11 — numbers that reflect both control and cutting edge.

Batters unleash 256-run carnage

Earlier, India’s batters laid the foundation for the rout with a blistering display.

Abhishek Sharma finally found rhythm, smashing his maiden half-century of the tournament — a fluent 55 off 30 deliveries that set the tempo.

The late assault was even more devastating. Hardik Pandya (50* off 23) and Tilak Varma (44* off 16) stitched together an unbeaten 81-run stand in just 31 balls, turning an imposing total into an overwhelming one.

With momentum surging and qualification within reach, India now head to Kolkata for their final Super 8 clash against the West Indies cricket team on Sunday, February 28. A place in the semi-finals hangs in the balance — but if Chennai was any indication, India are peaking at precisely the right time.