India thrash Zimbabwe in 4th T20I, seal five-match series: Stats
India sealed the five-match series after thrashing Zimbabwe in the 4th T20I at the Harare Sports Club. The Men in Blue successfully chased down 153, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill returning unscathed. The duo added a 150+ stand. Earlier, Zimbabwe racked up a modest 152/7 despite starting well. With this, India have claimed an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
A look at match summary
Zimbabwe openers Wessly Madhevere and Tadiwanashe Marumani added 63 runs after India invited them to bat. However, Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube dismissed the duo before the 10-over mark. Skipper Sikandar Raza was Zimbabwe's lone warrior thereafter. While he smashed 46, the Indian bowlers hunted in packs. India comfortably chased down the target, with Jaiswal going all out. They claimed a 10-wicket win.
India seal the series
After claiming the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup title, the second-string Indian side lost the T20I series opener to Zimbabwe. India have now bounced back with three successive wins. They have sealed the five-match T20I series with one game to go.
Zimbabwe face wrath of Jaiswal, Gill
Indian openers Jaiswal and Gill duly punished the bowlers in the run-chase. While Jaiswal came out all guns blazing, the Indian skipper launched his counter-attack eventually. The former smashed a 53-ball 93* studded with 13 fours and 2 sixes, and Gill took 39 balls for his unbeaten 58 (6 fours and 2 sixes). The duo added 156 runs without getting dismissed in 15.2 overs.
Another century-plus partnership for the duo in run-chases
As per ESPNcricinfo, this was the second century-plus partnership between Jaiswal and Gill in T20I cricket. They also recorded a 165-run stand while chasing 179 against the West Indies in Lauderhill in 2023. This means Jaiswal and Gill now have the top-two highest partnerships for India in run-chases in T20I cricket.
Second Indian opening pair with this feat
Jaiswal and Gill form the second Indian opening pair with multiple 100+ stands in T20Is. Rohit Sharma, who recently retired from the format, has four such partnerships each with Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul.
Jaiswal races past 600 T20I runs
Jaiswal, who made his debut in 2023, has raced to 631 runs from 19 T20Is at an average of 39.43. He has an incredible strike-rate of 161.79 in the format. Jaiswal's tally includes five half-centuries and a lone ton recorded at the Asian Games. Meanwhile, Gill has amassed 492 runs in 18 T20Is at 30.75 (SR: 141.37). He owns three fifties and a ton.
Raza races to 2,000 T20I runs
Zimbabwe suffered a middle-order collapse, but Raza held his end. He finished with a 28-ball 46 (2 fours and 3 sixes). With this, Raza became the first batter to score 2,000 runs for Zimbabwe in T20I cricket. He required 17 runs for the same. Raza recently completed 5,000 runs in the overall 20-over format, during the 3rd T20I against India.
First Zimbabwe player with this double
Raza has become the first Zimbabwe player to attain the double of 2,000 runs and 50 wickets in T20Is. Overall, he is the fifth player with this feat, after Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Virandeep Singh (Malaysia), and Mohammad Hafeez.
A record opening partnership for Zimbabwe
As mentioned, openers Madhevere and Marumani stitched a 63-run stand for Zimbabwe. As per Cricbuzz, this is the first 50-plus opening stand in 15 T20Is for Zimbabwe. Notably, eight of their last 14 such partnerships were in single digits.
What about Indian bowlers?
Khaleel Ahmed was the pick of India's bowlers in the match. He took two wickets for 32 runs in four overs. The likes of Tushar Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Abhishek, and Dube picked up a wicket each. Notably, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was India's most economical bowler (5.50). Meanwhile, Deshpande and Abhishek took their maiden wickets in international cricket.
A look at other notable numbers
As per Cricbuzz, India registered the third-highest successful run-chase without losing a wicket in T20I cricket. India won the match with 28 balls remaining, the most for them in successful 150-plus chases (T20Is). Overall, this was India's second 10-wicket win in T20I cricket. They claimed a similar win against the same opposition in Harare in 2016. The target was 100 back then.
