Zimbabwe’s Tinotenda Maposa endured a baptism of fire in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener against India, surrendering 23 runs in his very first over at Narendra Modi Stadium. The humiliating figures came in a 72-run thrashing, where India’s batsmen ran riot to post 256/4.
Opting to bowl first, Zimbabwe’s misery peaked early. Maposa, tasked with containing the explosive Indian lineup, started with the third over. Sanju Samson capitalized instantly, hammering two boundaries and a towering six. A no-ball and two wides inflated the damage to 23 – now the second-costliest debut over in T20 World Cup annals, eclipsed only by Steve Tikolo’s 25 against Sri Lanka back in 2007.
India’s innings was a spectacle. Abhishek Sharma stroked 55 off 30, blending elegance with aggression. Hardik Pandya then exploded for 50 off just 23 deliveries, while Tilak Varma’s 44 off 16 in the death overs pushed the score to intimidating heights.
Zimbabwe’s chase never took off despite Brian Bennett’s heroic 97 off 59. They folded at 184/6. Arshdeep Singh led the bowling charge with 3/24 in four overs, supported by wickets from Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel.
This defeat underscores Zimbabwe’s challenges against top-tier sides, while Maposa’s over becomes infamous lore in cricket’s shortest format.