India romped to their third straight victory against Zimbabwe, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match T20I series. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the star of the show, scoring 93 not out off 53 balls, as India won by 10 wickets with 28 balls to spare in Harare on Saturday.
Zimbabwe made a good start after being sent in. The opening partnership of Wessly Madhevere (25, 24 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32, 31 balls) put on 63 runs in 8.4 overs, but the hosts lost their way in the middle. They came back to take 85 runs in the last 10 overs, thanks to skipper Sikandar Raza’s 46 off 28 balls that had two fours and three sixes. Still, 152/7 in 20 overs was below-par on a good batting surface.
Jaiswal was in the gung-ho mood right from the outset. He took three fours off the first over bowled by Richard Ngarava and then, targeted Tendai Chatara with a 16-run over. Fifty was up inside four overs and India had raced to 61 for no loss at the end of the Powerplay. The game was done and dusted.
Jaiswal continued with his merry-hitting even after the Powerplay and brought up his half-century off just 29 balls. He celebrated it by stepping out and playing an inside-out lofted drive against Raza for a four past long-off. It was the shot of the day.
Shubman Gill, too, hit some gorgeous strokes, but it was Jaiswal’s day and the Indian team captain was happy to play second fiddle. He remained unbeaten on 58 off 39 deliveries.
Earlier, the tourists handed Tushar Deshpande his maiden international cap, but the medium pacer was a bit expensive to start with. His first over went for 11 runs, while his second accounted for 10. In between, Shivam Dube dropped Marumani off Khaleel Ahmed when the batsman was on three and as Zimbabwe reached 44 for no loss after six overs, it gave them a good platform to build on.
But Abhishek Sharma gave India the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Marumani. It was Abhishek’s maiden T20I scalp and he was a little lucky to get it, via a half-tracker. Dube removed Madhevere in the next over and suddenly, Zimbabwe were under pressure. Abhishek should have had Brian Bennett’s wicket also, but Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped a fairly simple catch at cover. India’s fielding wasn’t at its best today.
Raza played a good hand for the home team, but India kept chipping away. Khaleel was the most successful bowler for the visitors, returning with 2/32 from his four overs. Ravi Bishnoi, who was brought into the attack inside the Powerplay, was economical, as he gave away just 22 runs in his four overs. The leg-spinner, though, went wicketless.
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