Chennai, February 27 – Indian batters Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma have been jointly named the Impact Player of the Match after an impressive batting performance in the second match of the 2026 T20 World Cup Super 8s against Zimbabwe, which helped the team register a 72-run victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
After a disappointing start to the tournament, Abhishek made a remarkable comeback against Zimbabwe, scoring his first half-century of the tournament. He played a brilliant innings of 55 runs off 30 balls. Meanwhile, Tilak, who had also struggled throughout the tournament, scored 44 runs off just 16 balls.
Team India's doctor, Rizwan Khan, announced the names of the winners. He also explained the reason behind naming two players as the Impact Player of the Match.
"So, it was a big day, a big game. I think it all started when Hardik addressed everyone in the huddle, and it was a very passionate speech, and it was great to see everyone come out strong. Punch after punch, punch after punch, I thought that was a great performance by everyone. Everyone did so well that we actually have a choice, and we have not one but two impact players for today," he said in a video released by the BCCI.
"Our first impact player started the tournament with a stomach issue, and when things were not going great, I felt everyone in this room always had that gut feeling, 'ki sab theek ho jayega' (everything will be alright), and today what you did takes a lot of guts. Our second impact player also had an issue before the tournament. The innings that I saw today, I can only describe as all guns blazing. It was literally the knockout punch of the day," he added.
After receiving the Impact Player of the Match medal, Abhishek thanked the coaching staff and the captain for their trust.
"I know I've spent a lot of time with the doctor in the first few days, but finally coming back and doing something and contributing for the team, it's really special, and I think one thing I want to mention is that all these days I was feeling that the team has more belief than me when I wasn't doing so well, but getting all that support from the players, captain, coach, everyone, it was really special, and it actually made me think that I'm going to do really well in one of the matches, and finally it happened," Abhishek said.
While Tilak also echoed the same sentiments, "For me, I also want to say the same thing. I was really struggling before the tournament. The way the doctor and the team have been supporting me was really nice, and the thing is, I was struggling in this tournament, but special thanks to the support staff. They kept backing me and supporting me, that's just a matter of one innings. So, it came at the right moment, and I'm really happy," Tilak said.
Meanwhile, India will face the West Indies in a must-win encounter at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday.
