India registered a big win at the MCG as the Men in Blue defeated Zimbabwe by 71 runs. Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) did what he does best, as the 360-degree batsman went berserk against the African side, peppering every corner of the MCG and scoring an unbeaten 61 off just 25 balls.
Choosing to bat first, India posted 186/5 in its 20 overs with half-centuries from KL Rahul (51 of 35) and Yadav. The rest of the batters didn't contribute much, but SKY's one-man show after Rahul's innings propelled India to a competitive total.
In reply, Zimbabwe could only manage 115 before being bundled out in the second ball of the 18th over.
Let us go over a few talking points from today's game at the MCG.
1) SKY does it again
At this point, it's getting boring and repetitive to wax lyrical about the genius that is Suryakumar Yadav. He became the first Indian to score 1,000 T20i runs in a calendar year but people were too awed by his 360-degree shots to even acknowledge his brilliant feat.
What is even more worrying is that Sharma got out to his favourite pull shot in a venue that will host the final. As India heads into the semis, and a potential appearance in a third T20 WC final, the failure of the opening pair is a huge red flag.
3) Pant-DK conundrum goes unsolved
When captain Rohit Sharma announced at the toss Rishabh Pant was playing his first game of the tournament today, many were hoping he would cement his place in the XI. The swashbuckling wicketkeeper brings a slightly different skill set to the table as he plays at No: 5 and more importantly is a left-hander. With first-choice keeper Karthik failing to live up to his finisher's tag, the onus was on Pant to show the team management what it was missing.
However, Pant lasted all of five balls as he was brilliantly caught at wide long-on by a diving Ryan Burl.
While his short stay didn't necessarily damage his well-earned reputation, Pant's innings has not made things easier for the Men in Blue as they head into the semifinals against England.
In pics: India beats Zimbabwe by 71 runs. Thrilling moments from the T20 World Cup match
4) New-ball bowlers are balling!
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammad Shami put on yet another masterclass with the new ball as the quicks made good use of the pace-friendly conditions at the MCG. The trio accounted for 4 wickets in a combined 7 overs while conceding only 34 runs.
In addition to being economical, the Indian quicks are moving the ball around, which has seen them pick wickets at the top of the innings.
5) Sikander Raza, Sean Williams mystery
Spinners Sikander Raza and Sean Williams did their best to contain the Indian batsmen and did a stellar job. The two combined for 3 Indian victims in 5 overs and conceded only 27 runs. So, it came as a surprise when captain Craig Irvine chose to not bowl out the two best bowlers on the night, who had a combined 3 overs left.
The last 5 overs were all pace from Zimbabwe and what did that result in?
79 runs; the same number of runs India scored in the first 10 overs.
Read more: T20 World Cup: India beat Zimbabwe by 71 runs, to face England in semifinals
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