ZIM vs IND: 5th T20I Review – Young Indian team clinch series 4-1 vs Zimbabwe

India took on Zimbabwe in the fifth T20I at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on July 14. Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl first. India’s top order of Yashasvi Jaiswal (12 off 5), Shubman Gill (13 off 14), and Abhishek Sharma (14 off 11) fell in quick succession. Sanju Samson (58 off 45) and Riyan Parag (22 off 24) put up a crucial partnership of 65 runs for the fourth wicket while Shivam Dube (26 off 12) and Rinku Singh (11* off 9) batted their traditional way at the end and India posted a decent total of 167 for six on the board.

While chasing, Zimbabwe lost Weslley Madhevere (0 off 3) and Brian Bennett (10 off 8) inside three overs. Tadiwanashe Marumani (27 off 24) and Dien Myers (34 off 32) shared 45 runs for the third wicket. However, Sikandar Raza (8 off 12), Jonathan Campbell (4 off 7), and Clive Madande (1 off 4) fell cheaply when the hosts were in dire need of another partnership. Faraz Akram (27 off 13) smoked some out of the park but the Indian bowlers took no time to dismantle the lower order. India won the game by 42 runs and clinched the series by a 4-1 margin.

Top Performers of the Match

Best Batter – Sanju Samson (58 off 45)

Samson looked rusty in the middle at the start but kept his strike rate in check with some timely boundaries. He used Parag well in his partnership as the batter was keen on rotating the strike and managed a half-century stand. The wicket-keeper batter scored one boundary and smashed four maximums.

Best Bowler – Mukesh Kumar (4 for 22)

Mukesh has been on and off in the series when it comes to being featured in the playing XI. But the pacer has made amends whenever given a chance. He picked four wickets bowling just 3.3 overs. He broke the partnership between Madhevere and Bennett, by picking both in his consecutive overs. He later sent Faraz packing who looked lethal and finished the formalities by picking Richard Ngarava.

What’s next for both teams?

India clinched the series by 4-1 and they have a white ball tour to Sri Lanka starting on July 26. On the other hand, Zimbabwe will take on Ireland in the One-Off Test starting on July 25 at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Ireland.