The first match of the T20I series took place in the Harare sports club, Zimbabwe. Although it was a close contest, India lost to Zimbabwe. Sikandar Raza was named the player of the match. However, India emerged victorious in the second T20I & Abhishek Sharma was named the player of the match. Here is the review of the India vs Zimbabwe T20 series first two matches.
First T20I
Indian skipper, Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first. India’s fielding & bowling performance was exceptional, as they restricted Zimbabwe to 115/9. Ravi Bishnoi achieved his career-best figures of 4/13, while Washington Sundar picked up 2/11 and Mukesh Kumar contributed with 1/16.
However, India’s batting performance was disappointing. Abhishek Sharma returned to the pavilion very early, and wickets continued to tumble very often. Shubman Gill was there to stabilize the innings, but ultimately, he was dismissed by Sikandar Raza. None of the batters were able to get going, therefore India failed to chase the target of 116 runs.
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Zimbabwe posted a low total of 115 on the board, with none of the batters crossing the 30-run mark. Although they had a strong start, they were slowed down by the Indian bowlers. There were very few boundaries hit during the innings. Zimbabwe were 74 for 3 in the 12th over but quickly tumbled to 90 for 9 in the 16th over thanks to the brilliance of Ravi Bishnoi. The highest scorer was Clive Mandande, who scored 29 off 25 balls.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe’s bowling and fielding were top-notch. They made it difficult for the Indian batters to chase down the total. Defending their low score, Muzarabani and Chatara sent key Indian players back to the pavilion. Chatara & Raza picked up 3 wickets each. Zimbabwe took crucial catches and bowled with accurate line and length. Their bowlers took the team home by bowling India out for 102.
Second T20I
Yet again, the indian skipper won the toss, but he elected to bat first this time. The batters did their job well, posting a total of 235/2 on the board. Abhishek Sharma shone brightly tonight, scoring a fiery 47-ball century with a strike rate of 212, as it was raining fours and sixes. Rutaraj joined the party, scoring 77 runs off 47 balls and Rinku Singh contributed with a strike rate of 218, scoring 48 runs off 22 balls.
The bowlers had a good outing on the field. Despite conceding extra runs, Mukesh Kumar & Avesh Khan picked up 3 wickets each. Washington Sundar gave away 28 runs and picked up 1 wicket. Abhishek Sharma bowled 3 overs, giving away 36 runs while Riyan Prag bowled 1 over for 5 runs.
When it came to Zimbabwe, the batters were all over the place. It was a daunting total to chase, no one was able to get the job done. Wesley Madhevere was the lone warrior, scoring 43 off 39 balls before being bowled out. However, the majority of the batting lineup lost their wickets for under 5 runs each.
While the batting was disappointing, the bowling was nothing less. The bowlers did not have luck with them tonight as they conceded too many runs. They gave away an additional 20-25 runs. Breakthroughs were not provided. Blessing Muzarabbani picked up 1/30 while Wellington Masakadza picked up 1/29. Dropping the essential catch of Abhishek Sharma proved costly, allowing him to score a splendid century with shots all around the ground. Overall, it was a sloppy performance in all three departments.
Conclusion
Currently, the series is level with both teams having won one match each. There are still 3 more matches to be played. India came back strong after their initial loss, showing their skills in all three departments. India will aim to carry their momentum forward.
However, while Zimbabwe showed excellent fielding and bowling the other day, tonight’s match was different. Their batting is constantly letting them down. They need to reflect and focus on the rest of the matches. The trophy is still up for grabs.
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