India defeated Zimbabwe by 35 runs in the third T20I to win the series 3-0. In reply to India’s 192 runs, Zimbabwe could score only 157 runs. 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 81 runs, while Mayank Yadav took three wickets.
Harare [जिम्बाब्वे]July 26 (ANI): India completed a clean sweep of the bilateral series by defeating Zimbabwe by 35 runs in the third and final T20I played at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
Chasing the challenging target of 193 runs, the host team could only score 157 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. This is Indian captain Shreyas Iyer’s first series win after taking charge of the T20I team last month.
Zimbabwe’s innings, bad start
The run chase did not start well for the host team and they lost the wicket of opener Brian Bennett on the very first ball of Zimbabwe’s innings. Fast bowler Yash Thakur, playing his second match on the tour, gave two consecutive blows by dismissing Dion Myers and Sikandar Raza in the fourth over. Myers scored 19 runs in 15 balls, while Raza could not even open his account.
After this, Ryan Burl and Ben Curran added 31 runs for the fourth wicket, but Ravi Bishnoi broke this partnership by dismissing Curran for 20 runs. Burl then added 60 runs for the fifth wicket with Wesley Madhevere (28 off 25 balls), before Mayank Yadav provided another breakthrough in the 16th over.
Dominance of Indian bowlers
He completed three wickets in the match by dismissing Brad Evans in the last over. Ryan Burl struggled alone for Chevrons and remained unbeaten on 54 off 43 balls with the help of five fours. Mayank Yadav took three wickets, Yash Thakur took two, while Ashok Sharma and Ravi Bishnoi took one wicket each.
This is India’s third consecutive win in the shortest format after six defeats on the tour of Ireland and England.
Suryavanshi’s storm, India made a huge score
Earlier, after winning the toss in Harare, India posted a competitive score of 192/5 thanks to a blistering 81 off 49 balls by 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young opener laid the foundation for a big score with his aggressive innings, while Rinku Singh’s cameo in the last overs further boosted India’s score. Suryavanshi’s innings included eight fours and four sixes, while captain Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan also made important contributions. Brad Evans was the most successful bowler for Zimbabwe, taking two wickets.
India got off to a bright start as openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma scored 17 runs in the opening over off Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza. However, Zimbabwe made a comeback in the very next over when fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani dismissed Abhishek for just two runs. India finished the first four overs at 38/1.
Suryavanshi and Kishan’s partnership
After this, Suryavanshi changed gears and along with Ishan Kishan attacked the Zimbabwe bowlers, due to which India ended the powerplay at a strong score of 64/1. Suryavanshi continued his aggressive approach and India reached 89/1 after nine overs.
On the fifth ball of the 10th over, the 15-year-old sensation brought up his second T20I half-century in just 31 balls, taking India to 95/1.
On the first ball of the 11th over, captain Raza clean bowled Kishan for 29 runs in 26 balls, which included four fours. By the end of the 13th over, captain Shreyas Iyer and Suryavanshi had taken India to 123/2.
After this, Suryavanshi hit one six and two fours to Wesley Madhevere in the 15th over. However, Madhevere took revenge by dismissing the Indian opener on the last ball. The 15-year-old missed his century and was out for 81 off 49 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes, when India’s score was 145/3.
By the end of the 17th over, captain Iyer and Tilak Verma had taken India to 164/3. However, Brad Evans dismissed Iyer in the next over for 27 runs in 18 balls, which included two fours.
At the end of the innings, Tilak Verma (11* off 9 balls, one four) and Rinku Singh (25* off 14 balls, two fours and a six) took India to 192/5 in 20 overs.
zimbabwe bowling
Brad Evans was the most successful bowler for Zimbabwe with two wickets for 41 runs, while captain Sikandar Raza (1/40), Blessing Muzarabani (1/33) and Wesley Madhewere (1/37) took one wicket each. (ANI)
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