3rd T20I: India, Zimbabwe eye lead as series stands 1-1
The current five-T20I series between India and Zimbabwe stands poised at 1-1. After losing the opener, Shubman Gill's men made a thumping comeback and recorded a 100-run win. Abhishek Sharma's hundred headlined India's triumph as the visitors would be mighty confident ahead of the third game. The home team, meanwhile, will have redemption in mind. Here's the preview of the third T20I.
Pitch report and streaming details
The Harare Sports Club will host all the five games. The third T20I will be played on July 9. While India couldn't chase down 116 here in the opener, they posted 234/2 in the preceding game. Teams batting first have clinched 31 of the 52 T20Is played here. Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV will provide the live streaming and live telecast, respectively (4:30pm IST).
Here's the head-to-head record
India boast seven wins and just three defeats against Zimbabwe in T20Is. Nine of these games have taken place in Harare as the head-to-head record is 6-3 in India's favor. The only other game between these two sides took place in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Melbourne. The Men in Blue recorded a comfortable 71-run triumph.
Will there be any changes in India's XI
The likes of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have joined India's squad after missing the first two games. Hence, the visiting team's combination is to watch out for. Opener Jaiswal is likely to be on the benches as Abhishek smoked a ton in the second game. Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel might make way for Dube and Samson.
A look at the probable XIs
India's likely XI: Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (wk), Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar. Zimbabwe's likely XI: Wessly Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza (c), Dion Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara.
Here are the key performers
Abhishek's tally of 50 T20 sixes is the most for an Indian in 2024 (18 matches). Ravi Bishnoi has claimed six wickets in the series at a remarkable economy of just 3. Rinku Singh owns the fourth-most sixes by an Indian batter in the final two overs in T20Is (18). Sikandar Raza boasts 1,968 runs in T20Is besides 63 wickets.
