Anxious faces were the norm at Chepauk on Thursday evening. The large gathering knew the import of India’s Super Eights encounter against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup. Their apprehension stemmed mainly from an uncharacteristic implosion in Ahmedabad when India were bundled out for 111 by South Africa, but that emotion proved singularly unfounded after a powerhouse batting display brought the hosts the highest total of this edition, a monumental 256-4.

The near-full house at the here revelled in Sanju Samson’s sixes in the first two overs, but it was when Abhishek Sharma cut loose that they truly found their voice. The last three weeks have been extremely trying for the left-hander, whose scores of 0, 0, 0 and 15 bore an almost direct relation to the Indian batting not firing on all cylinders. Once the Abhishek of 2025, a force of nature with not a single negative bone in his body, reappeared, India’s batting was a celebration, a mighty dance of power and sinewy grace.