4.5 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! Boundaries are flowing easily for India at the moment! Another poorly executed back-of-a-length delivery on the pads, Shubman Gill stays on the back foot and just tickles it too fine at deep fine and gets another boundary.
4.4 overs (0 Run)
What was Shubman Gill trying to do there? A quick sharp call from Yashasvi Jaiswal who sends him back. Length-delivery on the pads, Shubman Gill tucks it off the back foot in front of mid on and is already halfway for a single but Yashasvi Jaiswal sends him back on a sharp call. Gill obeys and retreats back to the batting end.
4.3 overs (0 Run)
Identical length but the line is a bit closer to the body now, Shubman Gill is on the back foot and punches it to covers.
4.2 overs (0 Run)
A fuller-length delivery on the middle, Shubman Gill gets in line and drives it straight to covers.
4.1 overs (1 Run)
50 up in no real time! Hurls it on the pads on a length, Yashasvi Jaiswal leans ahead and wrists it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
3.6 overs (0 Run)
Back of a length and outside off, Shubman Gill dabs it off the back foot to backward point. End of the fourth and India is off to a real flier here.
3.5 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! Lucky there! Gets that extra bounce again, on the fifth stump line on the length, Shubman Gill is taken aback by the bounce and just can’t take his bat away in time. Hence, the ball takes off the thickish outside edge and flies over the slip cordon for a boundary.
3.4 overs (0 Run)
Length-delivery and outside off, Shubman Gill steps ahead and pushes it to mid off.
3.3 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! Another silly error in the field and goes to the fence! Outside off on a shade fuller length, Shubman Gill cuts it behind square at deep third where the fielder makes the meal out of an easy pick up and parries the ball to the fence. Distraught faces in the Chevrons’ camp and rightly so!
3.2 overs (0 Run)
Enticing the Indian skipper to have a go at it! Outside off on a length, Shubman Gill covers his stumps, watches the ball closely and leaves it alone.
3.1 overs (0 Run)
Back of a length and outside off at 136 kph, Shubman Gill punches it to backward point off the back foot.
2.6 overs (6 Runs)
SIX! Edged but goes all the way. Short in length again, and on the middle and leg channel, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes for an expansive pull shot but the extra bounce takes off the top edge of the willow and flies over the keeper’s head for a six. The TV umpire confirms whether the ball has landed before the ropes. Nope, it has sailed over and just landed behind the boundary.
2.5 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! Poor and punished! Zimbabwe bowlers have been wayward to say the least! Short and down the leg side, Yashasvi Jaiswal stands upright and pulls it over short fine and through deep fine for a boundary.
2.4 overs (0 Run)
Chatara now follows it with a length ball, closer to the off-pole, Yashasvi Jaiswal hops on the back foot and pats it solidly to the off side.
2.3 overs (0 Run)
Across off on a fuller length, and further going wide of off, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes poking at it but gets beaten on the outside edge.
2.2 overs (1 Run)
Hits the deck hard around off, Shubman Gill cuts it behind the square for a single at widish deep third.
2.1 overs (1 Run)
Over the wickets starts Chatara, and delivers a 124 kph delivery on a length, outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal slashes it to wide deep third for one.
Tendai Chatara replaces Brian Bennett.
1.6 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! Gracious written all over it! Angles it on the off and middle channel does Ngarava, overpitched a bit, Shubman Gill plants his front foot ahead and drills it down the ground with the full face of the bat for a boundary. Another expensive over from Zimbabwe.
1.5 overs (6 Runs)
SIX! As easy as you like! Richard Ngarava delivers it on a length, a bit on the leg stump line, Shubman Gill stands tall, transfers weight on the back foot and pulls it nicely over deep backward square leg for a six.
1.4 overs (0 Run)
In the air…just short! Short and on the body, Shubman Gill miscues his pull and the ball travels over mid-wicket but falls between the two converging fielders.
1.3 overs (0 Run)
Hits the hard length, angling on off from over the wickets, Shubman Gill gets in the line of the ball and blocks it solidly.
1.2 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! Gill is off the mark in style as well! Lands it full and on the middle stump with a hint of an inward movement. Shubman Gill flicks it nicely along the carpet and gets a boundary at deep mid-wicket.
1.1 overs (0 Run)
Richard Ngarava starts off with one slip in place and from over the stumps. Hurls it on a length and angles it across outside off, Shubman Gill leaves.
Richard Ngarava to share the attack.
0.6 over (0 Run)
Short and on leg, Yashasvi Jaiswal hits it off the back foot to the leg side. First over done, India 15 without any loss.
0.5 over (6 Runs)
SIX! What a shot! Tossed up on the off stump line, Yashasvi Jaiswal makes some room for himself and gets underneath it and tonks it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie.
0.5 over (5 Runs)
NO BALL AND FOUR! Quicker and flatter around off, Yashasvi Jaiswal bends low and guides the ball with a deft touch to deep third for four more. Brian Bennett has overstepped here and a Free Hit will follow now…
0.4 over (0 Run)
Length ball on the stumps. Jaiswal rocks back and flicks it to short mid-wicket.
0.3 over (4 Runs)
FOUR! Poor effort and India are underway! Brings the angle a bit closer to the body on a hard length, on the middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal rocks back and judges the length perfectly. He pulls it behind to short fine where the fielder moves way too much to his right and the ball trickles to the fence for a boundary.
0.2 over (0 Run)
Flatter and quicker on a length around off, Yashasvi Jaiswal watches it carefully and blocks it to the off side.
0.1 over (0 Run)
Starts off from around the wicket with a slip in place, and lands it on a length around off. Yashasvi Jaiswal rocks back and punches it to cover.
All in readiness at the Harare Sports Club! We can see the Zimbabwe players making their way out to the middle and spread out to take their respective field positions. New opening pair for India as Yashasvi Jaiswal partners Shubman Gill for this game. The hosts are going with spin straightaway as Brian Bennett has the new ball in hand. Let’s play…
Brian Bennett is up for a chat as well. He says that it was a great first game and that put a lot of confidence in the team. Adds that obviously they lost the second one but they still have three games left in the series. Mentions that he is fine with batting at any position depending on the needs of the team. Tells that he got out playing a wrong shot in the last game and hopes to perform better here. Ends by saying that there have been a lot of learnings for him in the last couple of years and he is loving his cricket.
Shivam Dube is up for a flash interview. He says being part of the Indian cricket team is always special and being a part of the World Cup winning squad is a dream come true for him. Adds they have been waiting for a very long time for the trophy. Says this series is very important for him to improve and express himself in all departments of the sport. Says they have learned a lot of things from the seniors and they try to keep it simple and don’t try to make too many changes.
PITCH REPORT – Tino Mawoyo is at the pitchside. He says it is a good batting surface. Also says there’s a presence of grass and it is very dry and rolled in nicely. Informs there are a few cracks around and also tells that there’s no moisture. Adds as the game goes on, it will slow down and batting will get a bit tough. Reckons anything around 160-170 while batting first will be a good total here.
Zimbabwe (Playing XI) – Tadiwanashe Marumani (In place of Innocent Kaia), Wessly Madhevere, Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (C), Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (WK), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava (In place of Luke Jongwe), Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani.
India (Playing XI) – Shubman Gill (C), Abhishek Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal (In place of Yashasvi Jaiswal), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube (In place of Riyan Parag), Sanju Samson (WK)(In place of Dhruv Jurel), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed (In place of Mukesh Kumar).
Sikandar Raza, the captain of Zimbabwe says that they would have bowled first anyways. Adds that this wicket is a bit different from the first two gams and there may be something for the bowlers as well. Says that they need to learn from the first two games and is hopeful of restricting India to a low score and chase it down later. Inform Innocent Kaia split his webbing in the last game and they have made a couple of changes
Shubman Gill, the skipper of India says it looks like a good wicket. There are a few cracks and with no moisture out there, batting is a good option first up. Informs they have got three World Cup winners back in the team. Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube are in the side. Also says that they are rotating their fast bowlers and informs Mukesh Kumar has been rested. Khaleel Ahmed comes in place of him.
TOSS – Shubman Gill calls it right once again and India have elected to BAT first.
Folks, while we wait for the toss here, the English Summer has already commenced with the Botham-Richards Trophy between England and the West Indies. The iconic Lord’s Stadium is the host for the 1st Test of the three Tests. The legendary cricketer James Anderson, renowned for his remarkable tally of 700 Test wickets, is set to conclude his illustrious 22-year Test career after this match. This game marks the end of an era for one of cricket’s greatest bowlers in the longest format. England has chosen to field first and the first inning is currently underway right now. You can simply switch the tabs and enjoy that coverage for a bit while we bring the toss in a bit.
India played a bowler short in the previous game and it is expected to be on similar lines now as well. But with Jaiswal coming in along with Samson and Dube too, available for selection, India might make some adjustments in the batting order. So one can expect a few changes and swaps in both lineups. Stick around for the toss and team updates.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, finds itself in a precarious position. After their victory in the first T20I, they would have hoped to maintain that winning momentum. However, their batting woes, which were evident even in their win, have now been brutally exposed. The second game saw not only their batters struggle but also their bowlers taken to the cleaners. Zimbabwe now needs to regroup quickly and devise a smarter approach to the remaining games. While Brian Bennett has shown flashes of potential with the bat, he needs to convert his promising cameos into substantial scores. Moreover, the support needs to come from his fellow batters, who have largely given underwhelming returns. The return of Richard Ngarava remains a big question but there is a silver lining for the Chevrons in the form of their pace duo, Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara, who have performed admirably despite the tough conditions.
After getting humbled in the series opener, failing to chase down a target that was below run a ball, India reasserted their dominance and they did in some fashion. Beating any team by a margin of 100 runs is an exceptional achievement overall. The day belonged to Abhishek Sharma, who shook off the disappointment of a duck in the first match to deliver a blistering counter-attack. His sensational century was a masterclass in aggressive batting. And let’s not overlook the gracious batting of Ruturaj Gaikwad coupled with Rinku Singh’s quickfire range hitting. Overall, India’s batting and bowling both looked immensely improved, which came on the expected lines. The spin department of the Men in Blue continues its dominance and nothing less will be anticipated from them in the rest of games. On top of it, India has now been reinforced with the services of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube for the rest of the tour, which makes Shubman Gill and Co. even more dangerous.
Cricket is a great leveler of sport, they say. And this series has proved it yet again. A quick turnaround between the first two games, we all saw stark differences in the performances of both sides. With things locked up at 1-1 in this 5-match T20I series, this particular game holds a pivot of who will lead the momentum ahead. Hello and a very warm welcome to our coverage of the 3rd T20I between Zimbabwe and India. We are at the Harare Sports Club, which continues to serve as the exclusive venue for this crucial series.
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4.6 overs (0 Run)
Overpitched and angling in on off, Shubman Gill shovels it off the inner half of the bat and hits it to the bowler to end the fifth.