Press Trust of India
Harare, June 20: India rode on young left-arm seamer Barinder Sran’s (4/10) memorable debut performance to notch up a crushing 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second T20 international and level the three-match series 1-1 here, Monday.
Asked to bowl after the coin landed in favour of Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer, a determined India restricted the hosts to 99 for nine in the stipulated 20 overs with Sran and Jasprit Bumrah (3/11) completely destroying the opposition at the Harare Sports Club. Mandeep Singh (52 n o, 40b, 6×4, 1×6) and KL Rahul (47 n o, 40b, 2×4, 2×6) then led the way with unbeaten knocks as the visitors chased down the target with 41 balls to spare. This was India’s first 10-wicket win in this format.
Chasing a meagre total, India were off to a flying start with openers Rahul and Mandeep hardly facing any trouble against a mediocre Zimbabwean bowling attack. Zimbabwe struggled not just with the bat and ball, but in the field too as Mandeep was dropped on 23 with the fielder on the deep square-leg fence allowing the ball to bounce off his hands over the ropes for a six.
Mandeep sealed the issue for India when he cut Neville Madziva for a boundary in the first delivery of the 14th over.
Earlier, opting to bat after winning the toss, Zimbabwe were pushed on to the back-foot from the word go as Sran along with Bumrah picked up wickets at regular intervals to run through the fragile batting line-up.
Playing the game in place of Richmond Mutumbani, Peter Moor (31, 32b, 2×4, 1×6) top scored for the hapless hosts. As he tried to put up some kind of a fight, Moor’s innings ended when he was caught by Axar Patel off the bowling of Bumrah.
India had the day’s first breakthrough when 23-year-old Sran sent back Chamu Chibhabha (10) with an excellent change of pace in the third over. Two overs later, the young left-arm pacer from Sirsa, Haryana struck again as he uprooted Hamilton Masakadza’s (10) middle-stump with a ball that had a hint of inward movement.
