India defeated Zimbabwe by 35 runs in the third and final T20I match, completing a 3-0 series sweep in Harare. The victory at Harare Sports Club marked a comprehensive performance by the Indian side, who are currently the top-ranked T20I team and reigning World Champions.
Mayank Yadav played a key role in India’s bowling attack, initiating the wickets with a first-ball dismissal and concluding with a three-wicket haul. Yash Thakur further pressured Zimbabwe with a two-wicket over. Ravi Bishnoi maintained an economical spell, taking one wicket for 24 runs, while Ashok Sharma secured his first T20I wicket. The collective bowling effort helped India manage Zimbabwe’s chase.
During Zimbabwe’s innings, Ben Curran departed after scoring 20 runs off 19 balls, including two boundaries. He was caught by Mayank Yadav off Ravi Bishnoi’s bowling. Curran attempted a reverse-sweep but edged the ball to short third man. Earlier, Ishan Kishan had dropped a catch off Curran.
Wessly Madhevere joined the crease following Curran’s dismissal. He began his innings with a single to deep mid-wicket after tapping one back to the bowler. Ashok Sharma’s over saw 11 runs, including Curran’s back-to-back boundaries. Ravi Bishnoi’s second over was more restrictive, yielding only 3 runs.
Zimbabwe’s innings saw them reach 67 for 4 after 8 overs. Despite losing three wickets in the powerplay, a recurring theme for Zimbabwe in the series, they maintained a brisk scoring rate to reach 53 for 3. Ben Curran and Dion Myers were significant contributors during this phase. Ryan Burl and Wessly Madhevere then formed a 60-run partnership, keeping the chase alive. However, Madhevere’s dismissal at a critical juncture left Burl with a challenging task.
Ryan Burl remained unbeaten with 54 runs, but the target ultimately proved too high for Zimbabwe. The team finished with a total of 157 for 7 after 20 overs. Mayank Yadav bowled the final ball of the match, leading to a single that sealed India’s victory. Mayank Yadav also claimed another wicket earlier in the final over, dismissing Brad Evans who miscued a shot that was caught by Rinku Singh.
The Zimbabwe innings saw several wickets fall at key moments. Brian Bennett was caught by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi off Mayank Yadav’s bowling without scoring. Dion Myers was caught by Shreyas Iyer off Yash Thakur for 19 runs, and Sikandar Raza was caught and bowled by Yash Thakur for 0 runs. Wessly Madhevere was caught by Tilak Varma off Mayank Yadav for 28 runs. Tadiwanashe Marumani was bowled by Ashok Sharma for 1 run, and Brad Evans was caught by Rinku Singh off Mayank Yadav for 14 runs. Newman Nyamhuri remained not out with 1 run.
The bowling figures for India included Mayank Yadav with 3 wickets for 29 runs from 4 overs, Yash Thakur with 2 wickets for 45 runs from 4 overs, Ashok Sharma with 1 wicket for 20 runs from 4 overs, and Ravi Bishnoi with 1 wicket for 24 runs from 4 overs. Suryansh Shedge bowled 2 overs for 15 runs, and Abhishek Sharma bowled 2 overs for 18 runs, both without taking wickets. Zimbabwe’s total included 20 extras, comprising 4 byes, 2 leg byes, 13 wides, and 1 no ball.
India’s commanding total was built on a strong batting performance, highlighted by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 81 runs off 49 balls. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer also contributed valuable knocks, while Rinku Singh provided a quickfire 25 runs off 14 balls towards the end of the innings. Blessing Muzarabani was a notable bowler for Zimbabwe, taking 1 wicket for 33 runs. Brad Evans secured two wickets, and Sikandar Raza and Wessly Madhevere each took one wicket. Despite some efforts to control the scoring in the death overs, India set a challenging target.
The series victory marks a successful campaign for India, showcasing the team’s strength and depth. Zimbabwe, despite recent successes in the T20I format, found themselves outmatched by the dominant Indian side throughout the series. The final score of 157/7 for Zimbabwe confirmed India’s victory by 35 runs.
Source: m.rediff.com
