2024-07-07 16:47:11
India won the T20 World Cup title in Barbados on one such day last Saturday. India beat South Africa to win the T20 World Cup crown. However, Zimbabwe surprised India by defeating India in the T20 within a week.
India lost the first of the three-match T20 series in Harare by 13 runs. It was Zimbabwe’s third win against the world champions. Earlier in 2015 and 2016, Zimbabwe defeated India in Harare. Pacer Tendai Chatara is the hero of their victory after 8 years. The right-arm pacer took 3 wickets for 16 runs in 3.5 overs.
India has sent the ‘A’ team to Zimbabwe as part of the national team. All the senior cricketers are rested as the series is right after the World Cup. None of the 15 players in the World Cup squad are in this team. Three of those who are playing made their debut today. However, the rest also have experience in ODI and Test playing. As a result, the team is not completely inexperienced. That’s why the joy of Zimbabwe’s victory was also worth seeing. Harar’s gallery also rejoiced.
Batting first, Zimbabwe could not score more than 115 runs for 9 wickets. In reply, India were stuck at 102 runs. Chasing 16 runs in the last over, India can only take 2 runs.
India’s batting start was extremely bad. The world champions lost 4 wickets for 28 runs in the power play. Abhishek Sharma was out for nil, Ruturaj Gaikwad for 7, Ryan Parag for 2 and Rinku Singh for nil. Skipper Shubman Gill tried to get hold of one end. He was accompanied by Dhruva Jurel. But they could not pull the team to fifty. Jurel scored only 6 runs. 31 runs came from Gill’s bat.
India lost 6 wickets for 47 runs then in extreme danger. Their lowest T20 score of 74 has not yet been crossed. There was a worry on the forehead. From there, Washington Sundar and Abesh Khan led the team. The duo saved India from the embarrassment of scoring the lowest number of runs. Mukesh Kumar also followed suit after Abesh was dismissed for 16 runs. Washington was left alone on the wicket with the last batsman Khalil Ahmed.
India’s ninth wicket fell for 86 runs, still 30 runs away from victory. Washington did not give up. Keep trying with last batsman Khalil. In the 18th over, Luc Jongwe reduced the gap by hitting a four and a six. India needed 18 runs off the last 12 balls. They did not get more than 2 runs in the 19th over bowled by Mujarabani. As a result, 16 runs are needed in the last over.
Washington did not get any runs off the first ball of the last over bowled by pacer Chatara. He sent the ball to short fine leg in the second ball and earned 2 runs. The third and fourth balls are again dots. Washington caught the fifth ball in the hands of Mujarabani. That’s all out India. Zimbabwe won the match with 1 ball to spare.
Apart from Chatara’s 3 wickets, captain Sikandar Raja also got 3 wickets. But the offspinner gave 25 runs.
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s batting at home was plain. Clive Madande scored the maximum 29 runs for the team. Finished his innings with 4 fours off 25 balls. Apart from this, Dion Myers scored 23, Bryant Bennett scored 22 and Wesley Madhvere scored 21 runs.
Ravi Bishnoi took 4 wickets for 13 runs with the ball for India. Washington got 2 wickets. The bowlers kept the target within reach. But India did not win the match due to the failure of the batsmen.
The two teams will face each other on the same ground in the second T20 tomorrow.