Zimbabwe vs India: A Thrilling Encounter – Match Scorecard and Highlights
India and Zimbabwe faced off in a thrilling T20 International series in July 2024, with both teams looking to assert their dominance. The final match of the series on July 14, 2024, was a hard-fought battle, where India emerged victorious by 42 runs, sealing the series with a commanding performance.
Match Overview:
The fifth and final T20I of the series saw India post a competitive total of 167/6 in their 20 overs. Despite Zimbabwe’s valiant effort with the bat, they fell short of the target, finishing with 125 runs, thus handing India the victory.
India’s Innings:
India won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson got India off to a steady start. However, it was the middle order that helped India reach a respectable total.
- Sanju Samson was the standout performer for India, scoring a brilliant 58 runs off 45 balls. His knock included four sixes, and his strike rate was impressive throughout the innings.
- Shivam Dube, coming in at number five, played a quickfire knock of 26 runs off 12 balls, adding vital runs in the latter stages of the innings.
- Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya also contributed with small but important cameos, but India’s scoring slowed down slightly as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
India ended their innings at 167/6 in 20 overs, setting Zimbabwe a target of 168 runs to win.
Zimbabwe’s Innings:
Chasing a challenging total, Zimbabwe’s top order failed to get going against India’s disciplined bowling attack. Dion Myers top-scored for Zimbabwe, making 34 runs off 32 balls. However, he lacked support from the rest of the batting line-up.
Zimbabwe’s chase was further disrupted by the excellent bowling performance from India. Mukesh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers, producing an outstanding performance to claim 4 wickets for just 22 runs in his 4 overs. His ability to extract bounce and swing from the pitch caused problems for the Zimbabwean batters.
Despite a strong start from Myers, Zimbabwe’s middle and lower order couldn’t withstand the pressure, with wickets falling regularly. The team was eventually bowled out for 125 in 19.4 overs, giving India a comfortable victory by 42 runs.
Key Moments:
- Sanju Samson’s Captaincy and Batting: Samson led by example, playing an anchor role in India’s innings and scoring a crucial half-century.
- Mukesh Kumar’s Bowling Heroics: Kumar’s outstanding bowling performance, where he claimed 4 wickets, was pivotal in restricting Zimbabwe’s chase.
- Shivam Dube’s Quickfire Cameo: Dube’s aggressive batting in the middle overs gave India the much-needed momentum to finish with a competitive total.
Detailed Scorecard:
India’s Innings:
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | Fours | Sixes | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 14 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 140.00 |
| Sanju Samson (C) | 58 | 45 | 6 | 4 | 128.89 |
| Shubman Gill | 21 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 123.53 |
| Hardik Pandya | 15 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 136.36 |
| Shivam Dube | 26 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 216.67 |
| Rinku Singh | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 175.00 |
| Washington Sundar | 14 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 175.00 |
| Arshdeep Singh | DNB | ||||
| Mukesh Kumar | DNB | ||||
| Kuldeep Yadav | DNB | ||||
| Ravi Bishnoi | DNB |
Zimbabwe’s Innings:
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | Fours | Sixes | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarisai Musakanda | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Dion Myers | 34 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 106.25 |
| Craig Ervine | 15 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 107.14 |
| Sean Williams | 14 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 127.27 |
| Sikandar Raza | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 114.29 |
| Regis Chakabva (C) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Ryan Burl | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Luke Jongwe | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Tendai Chatara | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Richard Ngarava | DNB |
India’s Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mukesh Kumar | 4 | 22 | 4 | 5.50 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 34 | 1 | 8.50 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 29 | 2 | 7.25 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 4 | 26 | 1 | 6.50 |
| Hardik Pandya | 4 | 33 | 0 | 8.25 |
| Washington Sundar | 4 | 24 | 0 | 6.00 |
Zimbabwe’s Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessing Muzarabani | 4 | 32 | 2 | 8.00 |
| Tendai Chatara | 4 | 30 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Richard Ngarava | 4 | 34 | 0 | 8.50 |
| Luke Jongwe | 4 | 27 | 2 | 6.75 |
| Sean Williams | 4 | 41 | 0 | 10.25 |
| Sikandar Raza | 4 | 23 | 1 | 5.75 |
Conclusion:
The match between Zimbabwe and India was an exciting contest, with both teams putting up a good fight. India, led by a brilliant performance from Sanju Samson and a stunning display of bowling from Mukesh Kumar, came out on top. Zimbabwe, despite a valiant effort from Dion Myers, could not chase down the target and fell short by 42 runs.
With this victory, India secured the T20I series and showcased their depth in both batting and bowling. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will need to regroup and improve in their next outing.