Zimbabwe win the first T20I by 13 runs

In Harare, Zimbabwe, who failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup, defeated the world champions by 13 runs in the first match of the T20 series. This long-awaited victory against India came after eight years for Zimbabwe.

Recently, the T20 World Cup concluded. India, resting their World Cup squad, sent a second-string team to Zimbabwe. Shubman Gill captained India in this match. Despite being a second-string team, it was still the Indian national team. Sikandar Raza and his teammates will relish this victory for a long time.

Batting first in Harare, Zimbabwe scored 115 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. Clive Madande, coming in at number seven, remained unbeaten with the highest score of 29 off 25 balls. Opener Wesley Madhevere scored 21 off 22 balls, Brian Bennett 22 off 15, and Dion Myers 23 off 22 balls.

For India, Ravi Bishnoi single-handedly restricted Zimbabwe by taking 4 wickets for 13 runs. Washington Sundar took 2 wickets for 11 runs.

Chasing a target of 116 runs, India lost a wicket in the very first over, with opener Abhishek Sharma getting out for a duck off 4 balls. Following this, the Indian team kept losing wickets. At the end of the powerplay, India’s score was 28 for 4.

However, captain Shubman Gill provided some hope. But after scoring 29 runs off 29 balls with five boundaries, he was bowled by opposing captain Sikandar Raza. At one stage, India lost 9 wickets for 86 runs.

In the final over, India needed 16 runs to win. They managed to score 2 runs off the first 2 balls. The 3rd and 4th balls were dot balls. Sundar, who scored 27 runs off 34 balls, was caught on the 5th ball, leading to India’s all-out. Zimbabwe secured a 13-run victory.

For Zimbabwe, Chatara and Sikandar Raza took 3 wickets each. Sikandar Raza was named the player of the match for his all-round performance.