In a historic upset, Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe defeated India by 13 runs in the first T20I match of the five-match series held in Harare on July 6. This victory marks a significant moment for Zimbabwean cricket as they became the first team to defeat India in T20 internationals in 2024, a feat no other team, including those at the recent T20 World Cup, could achieve. While India fielded a young and inexperienced team, this win holds great weight for the 12th ranked Zimbabwean team.
Sikandar Raza was awarded the player of the match award for his all-round heroics. He first scored 17 runs while batting and then followed it up with a match-winning spell of 3/25 to fold India to 102 runs.
“Feel really happy about the win. Need to take one game at a time. The job is not done, series is not over. World champions play like world champions so we need to be ready for the next game. This isn't a wicket where you get bowled out for 115. Credit to the bowlers of both sides. Clearly an indication we need to up our skills. I said I don't care about the result as long as we could be true to the crowd and changing room, we had our plans, we stuck to it and we backed our guys. Our catching and ground fielding was amazing but we did make some errors, shows there's room for improvement. We knew the fans would lift us up and give us energy, credit to them, it helped us,” Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza said at the post-match press conference.
India restrict Zimbabwe to modest total
Captain Shubman Gill chose to field first, and the young Indian bowling attack, led by the spinners, did well to restrict Zimbabwe to a score of 115 all out in their 20 overs. Ravi Bishnoi was the star performer, taking an impressive 4 wickets for just 13 runs in his 4 overs. Washington Sundar provided valuable support with 2 wickets for 11 runs in his 4 overs. Clive Madande's late innings of 29 runs off 25 balls proved crucial for Zimbabwe, helping them reach a defendable total.
Zimbabwe's disciplined bowling breaks India's back
Despite the low score, Zimbabwe bowled with discipline and took wickets at regular intervals. Tendai Chatara and Sikandar Raza emerged as the bowling heroes, picking up 3 wickets each. Chatara was particularly economical, conceding only 15 runs in his spell, while Raza chipped in with 17 runs with the bat earlier and was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance.
Debutants struggle as India fall short
Unfortunately for India, none of their three debutants – Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, and Riyan Parag – could make a significant impact with the bat. The Indian batting order crumbled, and they were eventually bowled out for 102 runs, falling short of the target by 13 runs.
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