'Boys' in Blue collapse on Harare's spin-friendly track

Cricket works in weird ways. 

If you had told somebody that within a week of winning the T20 World Cup undefeated, India would lose a T20I against a side that did not even qualify for the marquee tournament, they would have laughed at your face. But such is the nature of this sport, everyday is a new day. This is especially true in T20 cricket, which has seen more unpredictable results than any other format. 

On Saturday (July 6), Zimbabwe made it their day against the odds in Harare, beating India by 13 runs. They defended a below-par total of 115 in quite a convincing manner. Yes, none of the Indian players in Harare were part of the World Cup-winning Indian squad, but it was still a unit that was expected to raze the total. 

Instead, India could never get ahead in the run-chase. Barring Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill, all the other batters in the top six were out trying to be too aggressive too early in the innings. And that is contrary to an innings that started with 10 dots in a row. 

Abhishek Sharma was the first to go, miscuing a pull shot to the back square leg fielder.
The run-chase was tailor-made for batters like Gill and Gaikwad’s tempo, who like to up the ante after getting their eye in. However, Gaikwad was out to his susceptibility to moving balls, tentatively following a ball that moved away late.

The gates opened at one end, and the Zimbabwe bowlers kept making inroads one strike at a time. By the end of the powerplay, India were 28/4, with Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh following back with aerial shots to the fielders. 

A brief partnership later, Dhruv Jurel tried to repeat the drive that got him a boundary on the previous ball. However, with the ball sticking into the surface, he also handed catching practice to the fielder. 

Still, with skipper Gill in there, India were only one partnership away from a comeback. 

As mentioned earlier, India could never get their noses ahead. Sikandar Raza, bringing himself to bowl in the 11th over ensured it stayed that way. 

Raza started with a wayward delivery for four but compensated on the next ball, cleaning up Gill and taking the biggest wicket of the match. In a Sunil Narine-esque delivery, he hid the ball in his build-up and delivered a carrom ball. Gill, again looking to nudge the ball onto the leg side, got his front foot too across. If he was not bowled on the deflection, he would have been out LBW. 

At 47/6 in 10.2 overs, Zimbabwe were way ahead in the game. Washington Sundar was the only recognised batter left. But the wickets kept falling. 

A 23-run stand with Avesh, carrying India from 61/7 to 84/7, instilled hopes, but Avesh Khan fell to his urge to play the ball in the air despite scoring two boundaries in that over already. Receiving a juicy full toss from Wellington Masakadza, Avesh’s eye lit up, and he struck the ball straight to Raza at long-off. The ball was there but the question: Why risk your wicket with a recognised batter at the other end? 

86/9 in 17 overs. 30 needed from 18 balls. Still quite possible. 

Except Washington had to do it alone. A six, wide, and a four kept India in the contest, but Zimbabwe kept their composure.

Given singles were not an option for the left-hander, Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara bowled the good and the back-of-a-length deliveries to Washington with fielders stationed at boundaries square of the wicket. 

Washington (27 off 34) found his timing and rejected quite a few singles. A couple of missed opportunities for twos didn’t help either as Zimbabwe got closer ball-by-ball. 

India needed 18 off the last two overs. Washington could score only four before becoming the last batter to fall off the penultimate ball. 

While India picked 6/41 in their 10 overs of spin, Zimbabwe returned with 5/40 in eight overs of spin. It was all finger-spin for Zimbabwe. The off-spinners, Raza snapped 3/25 in his four overs and Brian Bennett bowled a wicket-maiden to start the innings. The left-arm orthodox spinner Masakadza picked 1/15 in his three overs. 

India are still expected to come back in the series with four T20Is to go. However, it will depend on how the batting line-up consisting of successful stars in a batting-friendly 2024 IPL season adjust to the gripping tracks of Harare. 

For the hosts, the message is simple. “The job is not done,” said the skipper and Player of the Match, eyeing to topple the world champions for a series win. 

(Image credits: @ZimCricketv on X)

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