Cricket, India: A history (2024)
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India tour of Zimbabwe, 2024
T20s
1st T20 Zimbabwe wins
July 7, 2024: The Times of India
From: July 7, 2024: The Times of India
Harare : An inexperienced yet spirited Zimbabwe pulled off an upset of massive proportions when they stunned an Indian team brimming with an array of Next-Gen stars by 13 runs in the first T20I of the fivematch series.
India, who were recently crowned champions in the T20 World Cup albeit with a different set of players, were expected to trot past an unfancied Zimbabwe and the script followed that line when the hosts were restricted to 115 for nine.
But from there, Zimbabwe wrote their own narrative, reducing India to 28 for four in the Power Play and then eventually bowled them out for 102 in 19.5 overs. Pacer Tendai Chatara (3/16) and skipper Sikandar Raza (3/25) led the home side bowling with aplomb.
It was India’s first defeat in T20Is in 2024 and first against Zimbabwe in eight years. The second match of the series is slated on Sunday. India’s stutter began in the first over itself, losing Abhishek Sharma, one of three T20I debutants along with Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel, for duck.
Sharma’s almighty cross-batted heave off Brian Benett was caught easily by Wellington Masakadza in the outfield. But what was perceived as an initial scratch soon turned into a deep gash as India kept losing wickets. Ruturaj Gaikwad (7) could not negate a slightly bouncier offering from pacer Blessing Muzarabani, edging it to Innocent Kaia at the floating first slip.
Soon, pacer Tendai Chatara dealt a double blow to India, dismissing Parag (2) and Rinku Singh (0) in the space of three balls in the fifth over. Parag’s over-enthusiastic loft over mid-off could not clear substitute Brandon Mavuta, while Rinku did not have the necessary space to execute pull off a climbingup delivery.
However, skipper Shubman Gill kept India in the chase with a sensible knock (31, 5x4), but Sikandar Raza accounted for his counterpart with a delivery that skidded past his bat to rattle the stumps.
Avesh Khan (16, 12b) and Washington Sundar (27, 34b) added 23 runs for the eighth wicket to take India to 84 but a full-blooded smash off a Masakadza full-toss was accepted by Raza at long-off. At 84 for eight and then at 86 for nine, the fight was well and truly over.
India needed 16 runs off the last over and despite Washington being there, they could only manage just two runs as Zimbabwe celebrated a famous win with all fervour.
Before their batters faltered, the Indian bowlers led by leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, performed admirably on a pitch that had a hint of extra bounce and sufficient carry.
Bishnoi returned with a careerbest 4/13 and received adequate support from off-spinner Washington (2/11) as Zimbabwe struggled to stitch any meaningful partnership.
However, Zimbabwe made a rather brisk start to their innings, reaching 40 for two in the Power Play segment even though their batters were not always convincing.
After the early dismissal of Kaia, who dragged a Mukesh Kumar delivery onto his stumps, Wessly Madhevere (21, 22b) and Bennett (22, 15b) added 34 runs in quick time.
The highlight of their alliance was the fifth over in which they plundered 17 runs off left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed. PTI
2nd T20: India wins
July 8, 2024: The Times of India
From: July 8, 2024: The Times of India
Harare : Young Abhishek Sharma announced his arrival on the big stage with a breathtaking 46-ball century as India pummelled Zimbabwe by a whopping 100 runs in the second T20I to restore parity in a resounding fashion here Sunday. This is India’s biggest margin of victory in terms of runs against Zimbabwe in T20Is.
The young Indian side didn’t carry the baggage of a shock-13-run defeat in the series-opener as lefthanded opener Abhishek blended power with grace for a scintillating 100-run knock that propelled India to a massive 234 for two on a track where batting wasn’t exactly easy.
The ask was already stiff and Indian bowlers got breakthroughs at regular intervals to bowl out Zimbabwe for 134 in 18.4 overs to set the record straight.
Pacers Mukesh Kumar (3/37) and Avesh Khan (3/15) removed the top order inside the Powerplay to kill the contest which became a formality after that.
The day certainly belonged to Abhishek, who mixed grace and power in equal measure in an innings, embellished with eight sixes and seven fours. It made a normally stylish Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 balls) look pale in comparison during their 137-run stand for the second wicket.
His innings would also increase the headache for skipper Shubman Gill and stand-in coach VVS Laxman, who would need to take a tough call when Yashasvi Jaiswal is available from the third game.
After his century, there is no way that the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener can be dropped from the playing XI. Having endured the disappointment of a four-ball duck on debut, Abhishek never looked under pressure on a track which his senior partner and current CSK partner Gaikwad found “difficult to feel set”.
The hallmark of his innings was fearlessness as he took calculated risks which paid off and allowed Gaikwad at the other end to get into the groove after playing and missing for the better part of his innings.
Abhishek got a reprieve on 27 when Wellington Masakadza dropped a regulation skier off Luke Jongwe. He never looked back after that. His fifty came off a pulled six behind square off medium pacer Dion Myers, whose 28-run over actually opened the floodgates during the back-10 for the visitors. The shot that was most pleasing to the eye was his inside out six off rival skipper Sikandar Raza, lofting his off-break with the turn over extra cover boundary.
If that was elegance personified, the manner in which he muscled left-arm spinner Masakadza into the orbit with back-to-back sixes was a testimony to his brute power.
He raised his milestone hundred when he guided a wayward full-toss on leg-stump behind the square for a maximum before being dismissed off the very next delivery.
On return to the dug-out, he was congratulated by his skipper and best friend Shubman Gill, who once again had an indifferent outing.
The poor fielding effort also hurt Zimbabwe as they also dropped Gaikwad’s catch, who took off from where Abhishek had left, creaming off 87 runs off 36 balls for the third wicket with Rinku Singh (48 not out off 22 balls), who also made merry with five huge sixes.
The total was India’s highest against Zimbabwe in T20 Internationals, surpassing previous best of 186, a fitting comeback after an inexplicable batting collapse in the opening game.
The Indian pacers despite the usage of long handle by No. 3 Bennett (26 off 9 balls) were on target as Mukesh cleaned up two batters with slightly back of the length off-cutters.
Avesh’s nasty snorter was something that opposition skipper Sikander Raza least expected while trying to fend being hit on the helmet. Once Ravi Bishnoi (2/11 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (1/28 in 4 overs) came into operation, the Zimbabwe batters weren’t able to hit them. PTI
