India thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the second T20 global to draw level in the three-match series 1-1 at the Harare Sports Club on Monday.
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Earlier, Zimbabwe succumbed to their lowest T20I total at the venue after a fiery four-wicket haul from left-arm debutant seamer Barinder Sran restricted them to 99/9 in their 20 overs.
India’s magnificent win by ten wickets is their largest in terms of wickets in T20Is, obliterating the two victories by nine-wicket margins – one each vs Sri Lanka at Visakhapatnam on February 14, 2016 and vs UAE at Dhaka on March 3, 2016. Jasprit Bumrah picked three wickets towards the end and that further dented Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s hopes of claiming the Twenty20 series with India were hampered in Harare as their batting woes returned to enable the tourists to cruise to a 10-wicket win.
The sides will now stay in Harare for match two on Monday, with the series to be concluded two days later.
Batsmen KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh, allrounder Rishi Dhawan, and bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Yuzvendra Chahal all made their Twenty20 worldwide bows.
Newly capped Barinder Sran was adjudged the Man of the Match-the youngster took four wickets for 10 from four overs. “I was not concentrating on pace but on swinging the ball since the pitch was suitable for that kind of bowling”.
“Once I’m inside, these things don’t bother me, that the selectors are watching, that this series is very important”.
Zimbabwe’s unexpected two-run victory in Saturday’s opener had suggested they might have turned a corner after a hopeless performance in the one-day series, in which they were whitewashed 3-0.
Indian batsman MS Dhoni, left, dives to avoid a run out during the T20 global cricket match against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club, Saturday, June, 18, 2016.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer said after scoring just 99 Zimbabwe were out of the game.
“Bowlers started it all, important to start well”. Just when they looked set to leave a solid platform for Elton Chigumbura to walk to and tee off, Yuzvendra Chahal smartly sent Waller packing.
The Indian captain also praised the Indian fielders. In a game that went right down to the final delivery, Elton Chigumbura’s unbeaten 54 ultimately made the difference as Zimbabwe took a one-nil lead in the three-match series.
Zimbabwe finally got the rub of the green as they won the toss and elected to bat. Dhawal Kulkarni got rid of Cremer for 4 for his solitary wicket in the match as Zimbabwe ended at 99 for 9.
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For Zimbabwe, Chigumbura and Madziva were the star players but the openers did a good job to give them a solid start.
