Zimbabwe’s Historic Triumph in First T20I Against IndiaZimbabwe’s Historic Triumph in First T20I Against India Zimbabwean captain Sikandar Raza expressed his delight following their thrilling 13-run victory over a youthful Indian team in the series opener. Despite acknowledging the magnitude of their achievement, Raza emphasized that their journey was far from over. India, electing to field first, restricted Zimbabwe to a modest 115/9. Ravi Bishnoi emerged as the standout performer with impressive figures of 4-13, while Washington Sundar chipped in with two wickets. In response, India’s top order faltered, leaving them reeling at 22/4 after five overs. Gill’s departure only compounded their woes, as Sundar found himself as the sole batter with the experience to guide the chase. Zimbabwe’s bowlers seized the initiative, eventually dismissing India for 102 in 19.5 overs. Tendai Chatara and Raza each claimed three wickets, with the latter bagging the Player of the Match award for his all-round contributions. Raza expressed his satisfaction with the outcome but cautioned against complacency. “We have to take it game by game. The job is not done yet,” he asserted. He praised the exceptional bowling performances on both sides and credited Zimbabwe’s fielding and crowd support for their triumph. Raza acknowledged India’s pedigree as world champions and predicted a strong response in the upcoming games. “We knew the fans would cheer us on and give us energy, kudos to them, it helped us,” he added. The second T20I between India and Zimbabwe will take place at the same venue on Sunday.
Harare, July 7 Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza expressed his joy over the 13-run win over a young Indian team in the first T20I of the series and stressed that their task is not yet done.
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first. Indian bowlers responded well to their captain’s call and restricted the opposition to 115/9 in 20 overs. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi returned with career-best figures of 4-13, while Washington Sundar picked up two scalps.
In response, India suffered early hiccups in the powerplay and were 22/4 after five overs. Things went from bad to worse after Gill’s wicket as Washington Sundar was the only designated batter at the crease with over 60 runs needed to reach the target. Eventually, Zimbabwe bowled India out for 102 in 19.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Tendai Chatara and Raza took three wickets each for the hosts, with the latter winning the Player of the Match award for also scoring 17 runs with the bat.
“I’m very happy with the win. We have to take it game by game. The job is not done yet, the series is not over yet,” Raza said after the game.
The Zimbabwe captain believes India will bounce back strongly and he praised the exceptional performances of the bowlers from both teams.
“World champions play like world champions, so we have to be ready for the next game. This is not a wicket where you get bowled out for 115. Credit to the bowlers from both sides. Clearly an indication that we have to improve our skills. I said I don’t care about the result, as long as we can be true to the crowd and the dressing room, we had our plans, we stuck to them and we supported our boys.
“Our catching and ground fielding was great but we did make some mistakes which shows there is room for improvement. We knew the fans would cheer us on and give us energy, kudos to them, it helped us,” he added.
The second T20I between India and Zimbabwe will be played at the same venue on Sunday.
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