India are the second best T20 side in the world after Sri Lanka. And so, when they took on a low ranked team like Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club, it was more or less certain who would eventually have the advantage.
Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20 Result HERE
Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20 Highlights HERE
True to the reputation, India played the opening match of the two-match T20 series to their potential. Bating first, they made 178 at the loss of five wickets, and then, the bowlers ensured that the hosts didn’t go beyond the score of 124 at the loss of seven wickets.
It was essentially the good batting display of the top three batsmen in the Indian team, and then, the bowler performances of young Axar Patel and Harbhajan Singh that helped the visitors to upstage the hapless Zimbabwe team.
Incidentally, Patel was one of the five Indians who made T20 International debut on Friday, took three wickets in the match while his senior partner Harbhajan Singh took two. They formed a very potent attack and restricted the Zimbabwean line-up from adopting any aggressive approach.
They bowled a tight line and it was only Hamilton Masakadza, who top scored with a 28-run knock for his team. Earlier, India’s captain Ajinkya Rahane (33) along with Murali Vijay (34) and Robin Uthappa (39 not out) set a solid foundation and getting those 25 extras also helped India immensely.
At the start of the Zimbabwean chase, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar again bowled a disciplined line and gave only four runs in his first spell of two overs. For a very short while, the Zimbabwe did show some sort of promise, but it fizzled out quite quickly after the Indian spinners spun their web.
Clearly, India’s second-string side is turning out to be quite a nightmare of Zimbabwe. After losing all their three matches to India in the ODI series, they continue to struggle against Rahane and his men.
When Zimbabwe play again against India for the last match of the series on Sunday, they will have to play for pride. They know India have been a better side in the ongoing series, but beating a team with fresh faces in international cricket isn’t an impossible task.
