India registered the second-highest total in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history after piling up a massive 256 runs against Zimbabwe in the Super Eight stage of the 2026 tournament on Thursday.

Playing in Chennai, Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first in the Group One clash, a decision that backfired as Indian batters unleashed an aggressive assault marked by relentless boundary hitting.

India posted 256 for four in their allotted 20 overs, smashing a total of 17 sixes during the innings — the highest score of the ongoing tournament and India’s biggest-ever total in T20 World Cup history.

Sanju Samson scored 24, Abhishek Sharma contributed 55, Ishan Kishan added 38, while captain Suryakumar Yadav made 33 runs.

The late overs saw explosive hitting from Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, who dismantled Zimbabwe’s bowling attack. Pandya remained unbeaten on 53 off 23 balls, while Tilak Varma scored an unbeaten 44 off just 16 deliveries.

India’s 256-run total stands as the second-highest in T20 World Cup history, behind Sri Lanka’s 260 against Kenya in the inaugural 2007 edition.

Earlier in the tournament, West Indies had scored 254 against Zimbabwe, while Ireland posted 235 against Oman.