India completed a comfortable seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in a lopsided T20I series opener at Harare Sports Club on Thursday, July 23. The Men in Blue took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with the victory.
Zimbabwe were off to a poor start after being invited to bat first. They lost three wickets within the powerplay and could not recover from the early blows. Wessly Madhevere was the top scorer with 39 off 34 balls, while Tadiwanashe Marumani remained unbeaten on 27 from 20 deliveries.
The hosts registered 125/7 in 20 overs. The Indian pacers dominated the proceedings, with Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav bagging two wickets each. Opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi set the tone in the run chase with a blazing 50 off 19 balls.
The 15-year-old slammed his maiden fifty in international cricket and became the youngest to hit a half-century in T20Is. Ishan Kishan (35 off 24) and Shreyas Iyer (28* off 24) also made important contributions as the visitors hunted down the target in just 13.2 overs. Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets and was the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers.
Mayank was named the Player of the Match for his wonderful bowling exploits. The encounter had several interesting moments that had fans buzzing. Here, we look at the top three of those.
Apart from his swashbuckling knock, Vaibhav Suryavanshi also earned praise for his sharp catch to dismiss Ben Curran. The Zimbabwean opener scored 10 runs off eight balls before falling to Prince Yadav in the fourth over.
The left-handed batter went for the pull shot off a back-of-length ball but failed to middle it. He ended up hitting straight to mid-wicket, where Suryavanshi made no mistakes and completed an excellent catch.
Watch the video here:
Mayank Yadav returned to India's T20I team after around 21 months. The tearaway speedster made an immediate impact by dismissing Brian Bennett on the first ball of the match.
He bowled a 149 kmph back-of-length delivery on the off stump. It pitched and shaped away from Bennett, who was beaten for pace. The ball took the outside edge and went straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.
Notably, the on-field umpire turned down India's appeal for caught behind. However, skipper Shreyas Iyer opted for DRS, and there was a clear spike on UltraEdge, and the umpire had to overturn his decision of not out.
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Vaibhav Suryavanshi upped the ante in the powerplay by going after Richard Ngarava in the second over of the run chase. The pacer started well, beating the youngster's outside edge with a back-of-a-length ball.
He went for the short ball next, but the hard-hitting batter got hold of it and sent the ball for a massive six over deep square leg with a pull shot. The seamer changed his length and went full next, but there was no respite.
After a powerful six, Suryavanshi showcased his timing by playing a stunning cover drive for a four. Ngarava followed it with a length ball outside the off stump. The Indian opener was ready for it and dispatched it over long-off for another maximum. The Zimbabwean bowler ultimately conceded 20 runs from the over.
Watch the video here:
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