Melbourne: India defeated Zimbabwe by 71 runs in their T20 World Cup encounter today at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. India finished the match as winners of Group 2 and will next play the runner-up of Group 1 England in semifinal on Thursday.

BCCI tweeted India’s win, “For his breathtaking batting pyrotechnics, Surya Kumar bagged the Player of the Match award as Team India beat Zimbabwe by 71 runs at MCG”.

India had already secured a place in the semifinals without needing to defeat Zimbabwe, as Netherlands defeat South Africa. India’s batting today was top-notch with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli stabilizing the innings after the early dismissal of Rohit Sharma. Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul scored blistering half-centuries as India posted 186 for five in their last Group 2 match, while Zimbabwe were bowled out for 115 in 17.2 overs.