Zimbabwe opener Brian Bennett admitted it would have been special to score a T20 World Cup century but said he was grateful for his unbeaten 97, which stood out as the lone bright spark in his side’s heavy defeat to India in the Super 8 stage.

Bennett’s 97 not out off 59 balls, studded with eight fours and six sixes, came in a daunting chase after India piled up 256 for four. Zimbabwe eventually finished on 184 for six, falling 72 runs short.

“Yeah, it would have been nice,” the 22-year-old said of the missed hundred. “Cricket is like that sometimes. I’m not always going to get to that landmark. I’m just grateful to go out there and put on a good innings, even though we couldn’t get over the line. Chasing 250-plus was always going to be tough.”

Bennett revealed he encouraged his teammates to play with freedom despite the steep target.

“I just told them when they came in — if you see the ball, just hit it. Don’t worry about what I want. Just do your thing,” he said, explaining the approach as Zimbabwe tried to keep up with the required rate.

One of the highlights of his innings came in the 13th over when he took on India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, launching him over long-on for six to bring up his half-century.

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“It was my first time facing him. He’s a top-class, world-class bowler. My thought process was just to watch the ball closely and trust my instincts. It was in my zone and I hit it,” Bennett said.

Reflecting on the match, Bennett conceded that chasing 250-260 was always going to be a monumental task.

“When you’re chasing that much, you just have to express yourself and not worry too much about the scoreboard. If it comes off, it comes off. Today it didn’t go the way we wanted, but 250 is always going to be tough.”

Despite consecutive defeats, Bennett said Zimbabwe would draw confidence from their historic run to the Super 8s — their first appearance at that stage.

“It’s the first time Zimbabwe have qualified for the Super 8s. There have been a lot of highs in this tournament and we’re grateful for that,” he said.

With one game left against South Africa, Bennett emphasised the importance of growth.

“We’ve learnt a lot from the last two games against West Indies and India. Now it’s about improving as a team and as individuals. It’s not disappointment — it’s learning, and hopefully it will help us in the future.”