Harare: On recovery path with their maiden win under new captain Shreyas Iyer, India will look to sustain the winning momentum for an unassailable lead against Zimbabwe when the two teams face off in the second T20I here on Saturday.
After being swept away by Ireland (0-2) and England (0-4), three-time T20 World Cup winners India produced a far better show in their series-opener here on Thursday, beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead.
Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 19-ball 50 and Mayank Yadav’s fiery 4-0-18-2 set up an important win for India in the opening match here, against an opponent which has thrived in home conditions of late.
India chased down a modest 126 with more than six overs and seven wickets to spare, riding on Sooryavanshi’s fifty, a quickfire 35 from Ishan Kishan and a measured 28 not out from skipper Iyer.
Abhishek Sharma, who began his T20I journey here at the Harare Sports Club and struck his maiden hundred in the format in the second game itself two years ago, would be keen to make amends after falling cheaply in the opening game.
Sooryavanshi set the record for being the youngest to score a T20I half-century. The young batter would have been relieved getting the monkey off his back, especially when he was specifically targeted with short balls on England tour.
But more than their batters’ strong showing, the collective effort from a young pace attack would have pleased the team management, which has VVS Laxman in charge as the head coach for this series.
India appeared to have adapted well to the conditions as Prince Yadav claimed 2/29 in a much-improved performance, while the debutant Ashok Sharma also cranked up high pace even though he remained wicket-less.
But the biggest takeaway was a successful return to top flight cricket for right-arm pacer Mayank, who spent nearly two years on the sidelines with a string of injuries since making his debut.
Mayank’s pace as well as control was top notch in the opening contest, with the dismissal of Zimbabwe batting mainstay Brian Bennett on a delivery that shaped away being the standout.
Zimbabwe, on their part, would rue losing far too many wickets in the powerplay while not being able to handle the pace the Indian bowlers generated. From 26 for three, the hosts put on a modest 125 for seven which was never going to be challenging enough.
There is no gap between the second and the final T20I, which will be played on Sunday in the short series.
Teams (from):
India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Yash Thakur.
Zimbabwe: Sikandar. Raza (c), Ben Curran, Innocent Kala, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk(, Dion Myers, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Brian Benett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Wesley Madhevere, Tanaka Chivanga, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri.
Match starts at 4:30pm IST.
