T20 WC: Suryakumar Yadav, R Ashwin help India beat Zimbabwe by 71 runs, top group 2

India will now face England in the final four stage of the tournament.

India posted 186 runs for the loss of five wickets and then the bowlers completed the task by bowling out Zimbabwe for 115.

Pakistani-origin Zimbabwe's star batsman  Sikandar Raza remained the second top scorer for Zimbabwe as he contributed 34 runs.

Ryan Burl remained the highest scorer for the African squad with his 35.

Indian bowlers kept picking up wickets at regular intervals which kept Zimbabwe away from the possibility of chasing down the target.

R Ashwin picked up three wickets in the match to finish the Zimbabwean innings.

Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya took two wickets each.

India topped the group and reached the semi-finals of the major ICC tournament.

Earlier, Surya Kumar Yadav's maverick unbeaten half-century helped India post a mammoth 186/5 in the last group 2 match of T20 World Cup here at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

SKY hammered 61 off 25 balls with the help of 6 sixes and 4 boundaries in his astonishing innings of an unbeaten 61 runs.

The Mumbaikar delighted his fans with his maverick shots, unbelievably pulling wide outside the off stump balls over square leg for sixes and crafting his patent scoops and mesmerising lofted shots over cover.

Zimbabwe managed to pull things back somewhat after KL Rahul's 51 (35 balls, 3x6s 3x4s), but SKY took charge along with Hardik Pandya who scored 18 in as many balls before falling to Richard Ngarava.

Blessing Muzarabani gave Zimbabwe their first wicket when he sent back captain Rohit Sharma for 15 off 13 balls, who pulled straight into the hands of Wellington Masakadza at deep backward square leg.

Inform Virat Kohli joined Rahul who was on a song. Both stitched 60 runs partnership for the second wicket, before Kohli departed after scoring 26 (25 balls, 2x4s). He top-edged Sean Williams to Ryan Burl stationed at long-off.

India lost Rahul and Rishabh Pant (3), who came in for Dinesh Karthik, in quick succession, leaving India slipping to 101/4 from 87/2.

For Zimbabwe, Williams ended with figures of 2/9, while Ngarava, Muzarbani and Sikandar Raza bagged a wicket each.

 

Images credit: BCCI Twitter page