India sealed a dramatic 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe by three runs thanks to Kedar Jadhav’s fifty and two wickets each from Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni. Chasing 139, Zimbabwe looked in control halfway through the chase but failed to bring home the victory.
After India were asked to bat for the first time in the series, their top order struggled to set a decent score. In fact, of the top four, two ended in double digits while two more were dismissed in their 20s. Yet, they finished with 138 thanks to Kedar Jadhav’s maiden T20I fifty and a cameo from Axar Patel.
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Although Zimbabwe lost both openers cheaply, Vusi Sibanda and Peter Moor steadied the ship and set the platform for the hosts. But once Sibanda fell, things started to unravel. As the target grew closer, the hosts became more nervy.
In the end, needing 21 runs from the last over and Barinder Sran bowling it, their chances looked slim. But a no ball and a free hit meant they had a chance but they ultimately fell four runs short of the target.
For his maiden T20I fifty, Jadhav won the Man of the Match. While the Man of the series went to Barinder Sran. He says, after Mandeep Singh comes in as the translator and explains what he said: "I had the confidence because the runs were too much. Initial plan was something else but then I changed it after the first 2 balls didn't go too well.”
Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer: "It was disappointing to not get across the line. But we fought, credit to India. We knew we had to compete because ODIs were a tough beating. I am happy the guys came together and nearly won it. It will be nice to get a few more games, we have a Test series coming up.”
Dhoni on why he didn’t bat earlier
Indian captain MS Dhoni said: "What happens in this format is the games get close. Zimbabwe batted, bowled and fielded well in this series, which is why it was a close series. As the format gets longer, it will be difficult for them to compete. They need more games to get better and better.
“I didn't get a chance to bat but I felt it was the right way to play cricket - having opted to bat. Fast bowling is something you need a good pool for. We have 10-12 bowlers now who can play limited overs cricket. Gradually they will graduate to the Test level. Games like these will help them mature, and the fact that we lost the first T20I helped us get more out of the series."
Here are the reactions from the cricket fraternity:
Shikhar Dhawan:
Ayaz Memon:
Harsha Bhogle:
Manoj Tiwary:
Rahul Sharma:
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