Team India got the better of Zimbabwe by seven wickets at Harare Sports Club on Thursday, July 23 in the first T20I of the three-match series. The Men in Blue thus broke their shocking winless streak in the T20I format. Of their last seven matches, they had lost six (two against Ireland and four against England), while one game ended in no result.

Bowling first after winning the toss, the visitors restricted Zimbabwe to 125-7. Pacer Mayank Yadav made a memorable comeback, registering figures of 2-18 from four overs. Young fast bowler Prince Yadav also impressed with 2-19 from four overs, while Shivam Dube and Ravi Bishnoi chipped in with one scalp each. In the chase, Team India got over the line in 13.2 overs.

While India came up with an impressive all-round effort in the first T20I in Harare, we take a look at three areas of improvement for the Men in Blue ahead of the second T20I at the same venue on Saturday.

Bowling first after winning the toss, India had Zimbabwe on the mat at 64-5 after 13.1 overs. Mayank dismissed opener Brian Bennett for a golden duck and also sent back Dion Myers cheaply. At the other end, Prince got the better of debutant Ben Curran for 10, while Dube and Bishnoi dismissed Sikandar Raza (4) and Ryan Burl (26), respectively.

India should ideally have bowled out Zimbabwe for under 100. However, the inexperienced bowling attack allowed the hosts to stage a comeback via their lower order. Wessly Madhevere (39 off 34) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27* off 20) kept the Men in Blue at bay, adding 57 runs for the sixth wicket as Zimbabwe eventually touched the 125-run mark.

Team India did not have to pay a heavy price for letting Zimbabwe off the hook in the first T20I in Harare. However, when it comes to taking on bigger sides like Australia and South Africa, this lack of ruthlessness could end up hurting them.

Team India opener Abhishek Sharma scored a whirlwind 49 off 20 balls in the first T20I against Ireland in Belfast, smashing seven fours and two sixes. And while he followed it up with a golden duck in the next match, Abhishek began the T20I tour of England on a positive note. The southpaw slammed 59 off 24 in Chester-le-Street and 43 off 23 in Manchester.

Since the second T20I against England though, Abhishek has looked completely out of sorts. He registered scores of 10, 16 and 3 in the last three T20Is against England, not looking convincing at all during his stay out in the middle. In the first T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare as well, there was no rhythm in the Indian opener's batting. He looked almost frustrated and threw his wicket.

This is the second time in a short span that Abhishek is going through a lean run. He went into the 2026 T20 World Cup on a high, but ended up scoring just 141 runs in eight innings at an average of 17.62 and a strike rate of 158.42, with two half-centuries. Abhishek began the ICC event in shocking fashion, with three consecutive ducks, before finding some rhythm in the second half.

Keeper-batter Ishan Kishan made a terrific comeback to the Indian team on the back of some stupendous performances in domestic cricket. In fact, the aggressive left-hander was one of the heroes of India's T20 World Cup 2026 victory. In nine innings, he scored 317 runs at an average of 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.29.

Since the start of the Ireland tour, though, Kishan has not looked at his fluent best. He has been troubled by the short ball and has also failed to convert quite a few starts. In his last 10 innings in international cricket, he has managed just one half-century. Kishan was dismissed for 49 off 40 in the Manchester T20I and scored 35 off 24 against Zimbabwe in Harare on Thursday.

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