Harare: Pacer Mayank Yadav made a successful return to international cricket as India restricted Zimbabwe to 125 for seven in the first T20 of the three-match series Thursday.
Playing his first game for India since October 2024, the injury-prone speedster cranked up serious pace from the get-go.
He had opener Brian Bennett (0) caught behind off a peach the very first ball of the match, beating the batter with a hard length ball that straightened slightly to take the outside edge.
The on-field umpire did not hear the nick, but a confident India got the decision in their favour via DRS.
Mayank, who had surgery last year following a stress fracture, consistently hit speeds beyond 145 kmph. He targeted the back of a length area and often hurried the batters with his pace.
Extra pace had a role to play in his second wicket as Dion Myers (6) failed to time his pull shot in the fifth over.
Debutant Ashok Sharma, who went for a couple of boundaries in his first over, stemmed the flow of runs in his following two overs.
Not familiar with the conditions, India captain Shreyas Iyer put Zimbabwe in to bat.
With Bennett’s first-ball dismissal, Zimbabwe felt instant pressure and their situation got worse by the powerplay as they struggled to 26 for three.
Sensing an opportunity to score against Shivam Dube, Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza went for the release shot only to be caught at deep square leg, making it 32 for four in the eighth over.
Ryan Burl (26 off 35), Wessly Madhevere (38 off 34) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27 not out off 20) were able to hang around for a while, helping their team cross the 120-run mark.
Marumani played some entertaining shots in the cow corner region.
Ravi Bishnoi, who had made a disastrous comeback in the UK, ended with tidy figures of 24 for one in his four overs.
India are seeking their first win under new captain Iyer, having endured a winless tour of Ireland and England.