T20 WC: Abhishek, Tilak shine as India's "impact players" after win against Zimbabwe

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 27 (ANI): Team India's dressing room was charged with emotion after a commanding performance, as team official Dr Rizwan Khan lauded the collective effort of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma as the two "impact players" of the do-or-die match against Zimbabwe in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Thursday.
Abhishek, who scored 15 runs in the previous four matches, came roaring back with an innings of 55 runs off 30 balls. Tilak, who was having a below-par tournament, came into bat at number six and scored a brilliant 44 runs off just 16 balls. India won the match convincingly by 72 runs, according to a release.
Addressing the squad after the win, Dr. Khan credited India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's passionate huddle speech for setting the tone.
"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 punching. Punch after punch, punch after punch, I thought that was a great performance by everyone.
He highlighted the resilience shown by the two standout performers, both of whom had dealt with setbacks before or during the tournament.
"Everyone did so well that we are actually spoiled for choice, and we have not one but two impact players for today. Our first impact player started the tournament with a gut issue, and when things were not going great, I felt everyone in this room always had that gut feel that everything will be fine, and today what you did takes a lot of guts. No guts, no glory. Our second impact player also had an issue before the tournament. The innings which I saw today, I can only describe as all guns blazing. It was literally the knockout punch of the day. So, without wasting any time, our two impact players are Punjab Dusshera Abhishek and Hyderabad's hero Tilak," Khan said.
Abhishek reflected on his journey through a difficult phase earlier in the competition.
"Just one thing, I feel that this is very special for me. I know I've spent a lot of time in the dock 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 you know getting all that from the players, captain, coach, everyone it was really special and it actually made me that I'm gonna do really well in one of the matches and finally it happened. Thanks," the opener said.
Tilak resonated similar sentiments, thanking the support staff for backing him through the setbacks.
"For me also I want to tell the same thing. I was really struggling before the tournament. The way doctor and the team has been supporting me was really nice, and the thing is I was struggling in this tournament, but special thanks to support staff. They were keep backing me for they were just keep supporting me, matter of one innings, so it came in the right moment, and I'm really happy. Thank you," Tilak said.
India was put to bat first by Zimbabwe and they put their highest T20 WC total on the board courtesy knocks from Abhishek Sharma (55 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes), Hardik Pandya (50* in 23 balls, with two fours and four sixes) and Tilak Varma (44* in 16 balls, with three fours and four sixes).
In reply, Zimbabwe was valiant, posting 184/6 in 20 overs, courtesy a fine 97* in 59 balls, consisting of eight fours and six sixes by Brian Bennett and a 21-ball 31 by skipper Sikandar Raza. Arshdeep Singh (3/24) was the top wicket-taker for India.
India will face West Indies at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on Sunday in a must-win match to qualify for the knockout stage. (ANI)