"Kuch mat karna [Don't do anything]," screamed MS Dhoni. Zimbabwe were 57 for 5 at the time and they were gifting their wickets away.
Left-arm fast bowler Barinder Sran picked up three in a single over and recorded the second-best figures by a debutant in T20I cricket. His 4 for 10 sprung the trap on Zimbabwe, Jasprit Bumrah's 3 for 11 made sure they couldn't even think about escape and India levelled the series 1-1 with their first 10-wicket victory in T20 cricket.
If a team is kept to 99 for 9, it is common to think that conditions had been bowler-friendly. But a 1 pm start in Harare with not a cloud in sight reduced the chances of swing. The pitch was being used for a third time on the tour, which gave the team batting first a slight advantage. Zimbabwe gained that advantage when the coin fell in their favour. If they had put up a big enough total, the natural wear and tear of the surface could have made the chase that much more difficult.
Instead, Zimbabwe were 35 for 4 after the Powerplay on the same deck they had made 170 on only two days ago.
The chase was straightforward. Mandeep Singh cruised to his maiden T20I fifty, but he could have been caught in the fifth over if Malcolm Waller, rushing forward from deep square leg, and Taurai Muzarabani, running back from short fine leg, had communicated better. In the end the ball fell between them and trickled for four. The India opener offered another chance on 22 when he pulled straight to Donald Tiripano, the fielder on the square leg boundary, who parried over the rope for six. It was just that kind of day for Zimbabwe. They struggled with the basics from start to very early finish.
Left-arm fast bowler Barinder Sran picked up three in a single over and recorded the second-best figures by a debutant in T20I cricket. His 4 for 10 sprung the trap on Zimbabwe, Jasprit Bumrah's 3 for 11 made sure they couldn't even think about escape and India levelled the series 1-1 with their first 10-wicket victory in T20 cricket.
If a team is kept to 99 for 9, it is common to think that conditions had been bowler-friendly. But a 1 pm start in Harare with not a cloud in sight reduced the chances of swing. The pitch was being used for a third time on the tour, which gave the team batting first a slight advantage. Zimbabwe gained that advantage when the coin fell in their favour. If they had put up a big enough total, the natural wear and tear of the surface could have made the chase that much more difficult.
Instead, Zimbabwe were 35 for 4 after the Powerplay on the same deck they had made 170 on only two days ago.
The chase was straightforward. Mandeep Singh cruised to his maiden T20I fifty, but he could have been caught in the fifth over if Malcolm Waller, rushing forward from deep square leg, and Taurai Muzarabani, running back from short fine leg, had communicated better. In the end the ball fell between them and trickled for four. The India opener offered another chance on 22 when he pulled straight to Donald Tiripano, the fielder on the square leg boundary, who parried over the rope for six. It was just that kind of day for Zimbabwe. They struggled with the basics from start to very early finish.
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