Shreyas Iyer era registers first win, riding on collective dominance against Zimbabwe
India finally got off the mark under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer in T20Is, taking down Zimbabwe emphatically in the series opener. The Men in Blue put in a solid collective performance in Harare, sealing bragging rights in the clash with almost seven overs to spare.
Winning the toss, India opted to bowl first. Mayank Yadav struck on the very first ball to remove Brian Bennett (0). The visitors doubled down on the pressure as they struck again shortly after, getting the better of Ben Curran (10) and Dion Myers (6) inside the space of six balls.
To make matters worse for Zimbabwe, Shivam Dube got hold of their captain, Sikandar Raza (4), leaving the hosts rattled at 32/4. Zimbabwe managed to claw their way out of the early rut, courtesy of Ryan Burl (26), Wessly Madhevere (39) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27*).
However, the scoring rate remained a concern throughout, and India were able to restrict the hosts to 125/7 at the end of 20 overs. Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav picked up a brace each, handing India an easier target to chase.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came flying out of the blocks as India started in fifth gear. Despite Abhishek Sharma (1) falling early, Vaibhav left the hosts frazzled with his extraordinary brand of belligerence.
He brought up his half-century off just 18 balls, nudging a couple off Richard Ngarava. Sooryavanshi fell for a stormy 50, propelling India to 68 within just seven overs.
India did well to simply glide through the remainder of the chase as Ishan Kishan (35) and Shreyas Iyer (28*) added 46 runs for the third wicket. Despite Kishan falling just short of the finish line, India completed the chase without any fuss, securing a seven-wicket win with almost 40 balls to spare.
Mayank Yadav claimed the Player of the Match award for his incredible bowling performance and the early jolt that rendered Zimbabwe’s batting powerless.
