Article #249700

• Sharma and Pandya speed India towards 72-run win

• Proteas’ Markram leads nine-wicket win over West Indies

A rampant India piled up a record total and handed Zimbabwe a 72-run shellacking in a Super 8s contest to revive their Twenty20 World Cup title defence. Sent in, the hosts blasted 256 for four, the tournament’s highest score this year, after Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya struck blistering half centuries.

It rained 17 sixes and as many fours at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram ­Stadium as India’s top order feasted on a modest Zimbabwean attack made even blunter by their sloppy catching. Left with a mountain to climb, Zimbabwe managed 184 for six. Brian Bennett hit an unbeaten 97 from 59 balls but it was not enough to prevent their elimination from the tournament.