Cricket is widely seen as a religion in India, with players revered as icons and matches watched with great passion. Recently, India completed a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe and won it 4-1.
Shubman Gill will lead a young side against Zimbabwe with the intention of ending their tour on an upbeat note, while Zimbabwe are looking to end the series on a positive note by salvaging a win and finishing strong. In this article, we will discuss the main points of India National Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
1. First T20I
Zimbabwe and India will start off their three-match T20 series today (July 6) at Harare Sports Club with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah among many others, left out following World Cup 2018.
After suffering an embarrassing defeat against South Africa in their opening match, home side will have an excellent opportunity to stage a comeback and make an impressionful statement about this series.
Zimbabwe took home the inaugural World T20 title in 2010 by defeating South Africa at Eden Gardens. Though their form may have diminished somewhat since then, Zimbabwe still have some excellent players who could cause an upset and take another victory away from South Africa in 2011.
2. Second T20I
India’s quest for a new generation in T20I cricket did not get off to an auspicious start as they suffered an embarrassing defeat against Zimbabwe at Harare in their inaugural T20I. Poor batting performance and an unstable middle order cost India dearly, with them falling short by eight runs against a meagre target of 115 runs.
But the young guns in India’s team did not let this opportunity pass them by and bounced back quickly to win the second T20I and level the series at 1-1. Abhishek Sharma led from the front with his spectacular century in only his second T20I match; Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh supported him and contributed towards India’s total of 234/2 at 20 overs.
Indian bowlers were in excellent form during the Powerplay, taking four wickets within three innings and restricting Zimbabwe to an under-par total. Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan each took three wickets for India while Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar contributed with two each.
After an inauspicious start, Zimbabwe quickly lost momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Luke Jongwe and Wessly Madhevere managed to score runs for them but ultimately fell for only 134 in 18.4 overs – their lowest run total ever scored against India and also their first loss by more than 100 runs in this shortest format – needing to win their final match to avoid being whitewashed by India.
3. Third T20I
Zimbabwe made amends for their dismal start by posting an impressive total in Harare despite losing opener Wessly Madhevere early. But India managed to outwit their hosts and won by 23 runs – taking an early advantage in this series.
Shubman Gill’s 66 not out and cameos from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad helped India score 182/4 off 20 overs on an uneven surface, and their bowlers held their nerves to limit Zimbabwe to just 159/6 with Washington Sundar taking three wickets, Avesh Khan contributing two, and Khaleel Ahmed both making contributions of one wicket each.
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first at Harare Sports Club for the third T20I against Zimbabwe on Wednesday (July 10). They made four changes in their playing XI with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson being added as replacements for Dhruv Jurel, Sai Sudharsan, and Jitesh Sharma who missed due to injury.
Zimbabwe failed to match their opponents and were punished for some poor fielding performance, saving only with Clive Madande and Dion Myers putting together a 78-run stand as some kind of resistance for them.
Zimbabwe couldn’t cope with India’s relentless bowling pressure and they lost six wickets for just 77 runs in total, Washington Sundar was exceptional with 3-36 off four overs; Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmad both contributed with wickets as India took an unassailable 2-1 lead in this five-match T20I series; Saturday and Sunday will bring four and five T20Is respectively in Harare.
4. Fourth T20I
India rebounded strongly following a disappointing loss in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe to win two more T20s and take a commanding series victory. This showed India’s depth and talent as they demonstrated why they should become one of the premier T20 sides worldwide. Shubman Gill’s batsmanship combined with Washington Sundar’s impressive bowling gave India an advantage going into their last T20I against South Africa 2-1 ahead.
Indian cricket team led by Shubman Gill and coached by National Cricket Academy head coach VVS Laxman arrived in Harare for their fourth Twenty20 International on Tuesday, as evidenced by videos posted by Zimbabwe Cricket on their X platform. As soon as they left the airport they could be seen walking out into town in another video uploaded by Zimbabwe Cricket on their X platform.
Indian batsmen continued their impressive performances in both T20Is, but bowlers were inconsistent – something India must address if it wants to prevent Australia from sealing a five-match series win.
Indian team may make one or two adjustments in its playing XI for this T20I match against South Africa. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson could return after missing the previous two T20Is due to travel from West Indies following their success at the 2024 T20 World Cup victory, making Abhishek Sharma compete with Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad for second opening position; Washington Sundar may retain his spinner spot while Ravi Bishnoi could get another opportunity after impressing during his hard-hitting innings against South African batsman last time out.
5. Final T20I
India recently secured victory in their five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe by winning convincingly at Harare Sports Club, their inaugural bilateral series there. India was particularly impressed with how their young players rose to the occasion and performed so admirably before an eager home crowd. Jay Shah from BCCI applauded this performance.
India’s young bowlers made a spectacular impactful performance and restricted Zimbabwe to just 152 for seven after 20 overs, their visitors’ batsmen struggling to keep pace as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Indian captain Shubman Gill made quick work of scoring his half century, Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad both notching unbeaten half centuries in support.
Early in the day, Zimbabwe openers Wessly Madhevere and Tadiwanashe Marumani formed a promising 63-run opening partnership for the first wicket during the opening session of this match, but were unable to build on this promising start under pressure and succumbed. Furthermore, several middle and lower order batsmen faltered, further contributing to its downfall.
Even without experience or resources, Zimbabwe’s young squad did not give up easily. Determined to improve both their batting and fielding performances and compete with the world’s finest in future tournaments, VVS Laxman from former India has helped guide his former players as coaches for these visitors; Brian Bennett leads them as captain while talented youngsters like Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (wk), Wessly Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava are helping guide these youngsters into international arena tournaments.
