Sooryavanshi's 81 helps India complete 3-0 series sweep over Zimbabwe with 35-run win in 3rd T20I

India wrapped up a 3-0 series whitewash over Zimbabwe on July 26, notching up an emphatic 35-run win in the third T20I thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 81-run knock and a strong bowling performance led by Mayank Yadav. The victory provides a solid turnaround for India following consecutive series defeats to England and Ireland.

India sweep series against Zimbabwe with 35-run win over 3rd T20I

Chasing 193 on a sluggish track proved too tall a order for Zimbabwe, who were restricted to 157 for seven in their 20 overs despite an unbeaten half-century from Ryan Burl.

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The home side's poor start during the Powerplay once again proved to be their undoing. Pacer Yash Thakur derailed the chase early by removing Dion Myers and skipper Sikandar Raza off back-to-back deliveries in the fourth over, reducing Zimbabwe to 34 for three from which they could not recover.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shines bright for India again

Earlier, a remarkably adaptive 81 from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi anchored India to a competitive total of 192 for five against Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I in Harare. Opting to bat on a tacky Harare Sports Club surface, the young Bihar prodigy showed impressive restraint early on, taking just 11 runs from his first 10 deliveries before accelerating to reach his second T20I half-century off 31 balls. While it was a disciplined 48-ball effort overall, Sooryavanshi still displayed his signature flair and power, striking a punchy boundary off a Brad Evans yorker, a 102-meter launch over off-spinner Sikandar Raza, and an inventive reverse sweep against Wesley Madhevere. His innings eventually ended shy of a deserved century when Evans pulled off a spectacular catch at long-off.

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While Sooryavanshi anchored the innings, his opening partner Abhishek Sharma suffered another setback, edging Blessing Muzarabani to the keeper for 2. The dismissal extended a troubling slump for Abhishek, whose previous six scores—10, 16, 3, 1, 8, and 2—date back to the Nottingham T20I against England last month. Unfazed by the early loss, Sooryavanshi demonstrated remarkable maturity to rebuild, constructing a 75-run stand with Ishan Kishan (29) and a 50-run partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer (27). Following the dismissals of Sooryavanshi and Iyer, India’s middle order struggled to maintain the tempo, gathering just 47 runs in the final five overs before a late punch from Rinku Singh (25 off 14) pushed the total near 200—a score that should test Zimbabwe on a surface offering assistance to bowlers.