India is showing Zimbabwe how to play T20 matches. After an unexpected loss against Zimbabwe in the first match of the series, they claimed the next by 100 runs. On Wednesday, the third game, the victory margin was more mild at 23 runs, but the outcome was never in doubt. There are two more matches left in the series.
The Indian XI was enhanced by the addition of three players from the T20 World Cup-winning side. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube walked in. It entailed making a tough decision, such as downgrading Abhishek Sharma to third place. In the previous encounter, he scored 100 runs off 47 balls. However, this is what international cricket can entail at times.
Jaiswal was the reason for India’s storming start, with scoring 41 runs in the opening three overs. There were also moments of go-slow, adding up to 182. It was a big enough score on a pitch that was not ideal for batting. Shubman Gill (66 off 49), Ruturaj Gaikwad (49 off 28), and Jaiswal (36 off 27) were the main contributors. Zimbabwe’s catching and fielding were bad once more.
Shubman Gill benefitted from such fielding blunders early on, and after two quiet games, he dominated the attack. It wasn’t the most fluid knock he’d ever played, but it was still effective. Given the stop-and-go nature of the Harare Sports Club surface, the overall striking rate was satisfactory. Gaikwad was the commanding officer, overseeing the home team’s bowlers.
Blessing Muzarabani and Sikandar Raza’s bowling performances deserve special note. Muzarabani was a towering presence once more, troubling the Indians with his speed and length. He put the batsmen in awkward circumstances and achieved remarkable statistics of two for 25. Raza, the skipper, baffled the batsmen with his spin variations, going two for 24.
The Indian bowlers gave Zimbabwe no chance. It was a reduced attack with four specialist bowlers to accommodate the three World Cup winners. However, they wasted no time in putting the batsmen under strain. Wickets in the second, third, and fourth overs brought Zimbabwe to the brink of defeat early in the innings.
Also Read: 5 Rules That Gautam Gambhir Might Implement As The Head Coach Of Team India
