NEWS
Follow UsAfter a blip in the first T20I on Saturday (July 6), India have made a storming comeback in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The Men in Blue defeated Zimbabwe by a whopping margin of 100 runs today (July 7).
Opting to bat first this time, the Men in Blue notched up 234/2 at the back of a 47-ball 100 from Abhishek Sharma. Ruturaj Gaikwad (77* from 47 balls) and Rinku Singh (48* from 22) chipped in for India to post an above-par total.
In response, Zimbabwe were never in the chase, getting bowled out for 134 with an over to spare. Shubman Gill, the Indian skipper, credited the 137-run stand between Abhishek and Gaikwad for India’s record win, assessing that the two batters moved along nicely despite the tricky conditions upfront.
“With the way Abhishek and Rutu batted, it was not easy especially in the powerplay, with the ball moving around but Abhishek and Rutu built the innings brilliantly,” Gill said.
“Yesterday, it was more about not being able to handle the pressure, it's a young side and many of them are new to international exposure. It was actually good to have pressure in the first game and we knew what to expect coming into this game,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sikandar Raza, the Zimbabwe captain, put it down to the world champions justifying their tag.
“The world champions will eventually play like world champions,” he said.
“Dropping catches certainly hurt us today. I expected 200 on this wicket today but they got 30 runs more,” Raza assessed claiming Zimbabwe’s fielding as a big reason behind the defeat.
Zimbabwe dropped four catches in total, the most significant being Wellington Masakadza grassing a catching opportunity in the eighth over to dismiss Abhishek. The left-hander was on 27 at that point.
“Coming into the chase, I thought it would be a close game but it wasn't to be, the top-order didn't fire,” Raza reflected on the top-order failing twice in two days.
Blessing Muzarabani was the only positive for Zimbabwe. He conceded only 1/30 in his four overs while no other Zimbabwe bowler could manage an economy under 9.5.
“Blessing has grown by leaps and bounds, he is very hungry and his graph will keep going up as long as he stays fit,” Raza spoke on the right-arm seamer.
Abhishek Sharma was the Player of the Match for his match-winning century. “I felt today was my day and I made it count. T20 is about momentum and I took it to the end. We were talking after every over and he (Ruturaj) said to me that you should take it on. I always believe in my ability, if it's in my arc and even if it's the first ball, I will go after it,” the 23-year-old said.
(Cover image credits: @ZimCricketv on X)
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.
