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PREVIEW: With the T20 International series squared at 1-1, the third and final match at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday promises to be an exciting battle with India holding an edge over minnows Zimbabwe. After dishing out a 3-0 whitewash in the One-Day International (ODI) series, India came in for a shocker when they went down by two runs in the first T20 but bounced back with a 10-wicket thrashing of the hosts in the second match on Monday. Going into Wednesday’s tie, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led young Indian side will aim to wrap up the tour with another series win while the hosts will exert every way to create an upset. [caption id=“attachment_2849682” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
The Indian players celebrate the dismissal of a Zimbabwean wicket in the second T20I. Reuters[/caption] Promising medium pacer Barinder Sran along with the opening duo of Lokesh Rahul and Mandeep Singh made light work of the hosts in the second match with the left-armer picking four wickets, the most by an Indian on debut. Medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah complimented Sran well with three wickets as the Zimbabweans only managed to reach 99/9 in their 20 overs. Mandeep and Rahul then guided the team over the line without much hassle with the Punjab right-hander blasting his maiden half century. Going by Dhoni’s track record, he will not tinker with the winning combination when he picks the team for the third match except if someone has an odd niggle. On the other hand, the hosts will hope to end on a positive note what was a forgettable series for them. Apart from the first T20I where former skipper Elton Chigumbura struck a fine 26-ball 54, the Zimbabwe side found the going tough in all departments in the rest of the encounters against a second string Indian side. In Wednesday’s match, the Zimbabweans will now hope for the likes of Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza, Chigumbura and Malcolm Waller fire with the willow and give the bowlers a decent score to defend. Teams: India: MS Dhoni (Captain and wk), Lokesh Rahul, Faiz Fazal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Ambati Rayudu, Rishi Dhawan, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal. Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer (Captain), Vusimuzi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Wellington Masakadza, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhaha, Donald Tiripano, Malcolm Waller, Peter Moor (wk), Tapiwa Mufudza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Taurai Muzarabani, Brian Chari, Neville Madziva, Timycen Maruma.
India vs Zimbabwe, 3rd T20I at Harare as it happened: Visitors clinch series with thrilling win!
Catch the live updates of the third and final T20I between India and Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday here.
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Kedar Jadhav is the Man of the Match for his knock of 58, which was his maiden T20I fifty.
Barinder Sran, on the other hand, is the Man of the Series for the six wickets that he took in his maiden T20I series, including one in the last over of the tour!
After 20 overs,Zimbabwe 135/6 ( Timycen Maruma 23 , )
Had it not been for a majestic strike over the midwicket boundary by Maruma, Bumrah would have bowled a fine over for the situation. In the end, the six helps Zimbabwe collect 11 in their penultimate over, bringing the equation down to 21 off the last six, difficult, if not impossible.
Sran concedes a six, a four, a wide and a no-ball to concede 12 off just one ball. Disastrous start for India by any standards. Makes a good comeback to concede just one off the next three balls. Chigumbura gets the hosts back in the game with a four towards third man, before miscuing a full-toss off the last ball to get caught by Chahal at extra-cover to depart for 16!
India pull off a miraculous 3-run win to win the series 2-1!
After 18 overs,Zimbabwe 107/5 ( Elton Chigumbura 11 , Timycen Maruma 2)
Waller and Chigumbura seem to be scoring runs at a decent pace following Moor’s dismissal, with the latter getting his first boundaery at the end of the 17th over. However, Kulkarni strikes again at the start of the 18th over to provide the visitors’ hopes a major boost! Meanwhile, Elton Chigumbura is Zimbabwe’s biggest hope at the centre!
Zimbabwe need 32 to win from 12 balls.
After 15 overs,Zimbabwe 91/4 ( Malcolm Waller (W) 6 , Elton Chigumbura 2)
Moor brings Zimbabwe back on track spectacularly with a flurry of sixes, including two in Chahal’s final over. Chahal, who has been wayward so far in the innings, manages to sign off with a wicket, as Moor is caught by Mandeep to depart for 26 off 21 balls. Zimbabwe lose their fourth wicket with 86 on board, and it’s once again anyone’s game for the taking, although Elton Chigumbura’s presence at the middle should be a massive boost for the hosts!
Zimbabwe need 48 to win from 30 balls.
After 12 overs,Zimbabwe 71/3 ( Peter Moor 12 , Malcolm Waller (W) 2)
The reintroduction of Kulkarni in the 11th over turns out to be a lucky one for India, as the pacer traps the dangerous-looking Sibanda for 28, as Zimbabwe lose their third wicket with 60 on board. Moor however, brings some relief with a six off a poor delivery from Chahal in the 12th over! And a spectator sitting in the grass bank takes perhaps the finest catch of the entire series — that too with beer in his right hand.
Zimbabwe need another 68 to win from 48 balls, with seven wickets in hand.
After 9 overs,Zimbabwe 58/2 ( Vusi Sibanda 28 , Peter Moor 1)
Dhoni decides to introduce spin from both ends after the powerplay, though both Axar and Chahal get hammered for boundaries as Sibanda and Masakadza bring up the 50 for Zimbabwe quite effortlessly. That is until Axar finally gets the much-needed breakthrough for the visitors, trapping Masakadza lbw for 15, with the veteran batsman departing while looking for a sweep towards square-leg. India have finally managed to break the 40-run second-wicket stand, and restore some balance in the game.
Zimbabwe need 81 to win from 66 balls with eight wickets in hand.
After 6 overs,Zimbabwe 40/1 ( Hamilton Masakadza 7 , Vusi Sibanda 20)
Sibanda doesn’t wait for long to get the boundaries going, hammering three consecutive in the fourth over off Kulkarni as Zimbabwe seem to have got off to a strong start despite the early dismissal of Chibhabha. The young Indian bowling unit is under some serious pressure at the moment, and skipper Dhoni has to pull off a few smart moves now for the hosts to get back in the game. Zimbabwe race to 40 for one at the end of powerplay, 11 runs more and two wickets less than India.
Zimbabwe need another 99 to win from 84 balls with nine wickets in hand.
After 3 overs,Zimbabwe 19/1 ( Hamilton Masakadza 5 , Vusi Sibanda 1)
Both Chibhabha and Masakadza start off with boundaries, getting their side off to a promising start, before Barinder Sran draws first blood for India! Chibhabha, one of the better timers of the ball among the Zimbabwean batsmen, pulls the fourth delivery of the third over wide of square-leg, where Chahal takes a fine catch! Chibhabha departs for 5, as Zimbabwe lose their first wicket with 17 on board.
Zimbabwe need 120 to win from 102 balls.
After 20 overs,India 138/6 ( Axar Patel 20 , Dhawal Kulkarni 1)
OUT! And thus Jadhav’s long stay at the centre comes to an end, as he top-edges a slower delivery from Tiripano towards long-on where Chigumbura takes his second catch. Jadhav departs for 58, as Tiripano finishes with fine figures of 3/20 at the end of his quota of four overs. Will this be enough to earn him the Man of the Match award later?
Madziva is handed the ball for the final over, and concedes 16 off it in a rather expensive display. Starts off with a wide, before some fine running between the wickets and a massive six over long-off in the penultimate over! The 16-run final over may have swung the balance of the match slightly in India’s favour, and it could later prove to be the difference. Meanwhile, the Harare pitch didn’t exactly turn out to be a batting-friendly one as expected, and that could be a positive sign for the Indian bowlers.
After 18 overs,India 111/5 ( Kedar Jadhav 51 , Axar Patel 2)
Dhoni’s departure is perhaps the biggest blow for the Indians so far, with their hopes of recovering to a respectable total (around 140), fast fading away. Meanwhile, Jadhav hammers a six and two fours in the 18th over to not only bring up the 100 for India, but his maiden T20I half-century as well!
After 15 overs,India 87/4 ( Kedar Jadhav 31 , MS Dhoni (C) (W) 8)
Rayudu departs for 20 after getting caught at long-on off Cremer’s bowling, bringing Dhoni to the centre for the second time this tour. The Indian skipper gets his first boundary in the 14th over by picking the gap between point and third man. Just two runs off the 15th over, with India crawling to 87/4. The visitors will barely cross 120 at this rate, and Dhoni-Jadhav really need to get the big hits if they are to guide India to a respectable position.
OUT! Rayudu looks to bring up the 50-run stand with Jadhav in style by hitting down the ground, but doesn’t get enough power on the shot as Chigumbura takes a simple catch near long-on! Zimbabwe skipper Cremer gets his first wicket of the innings in his last over, as India lose their fourth wicket with 76 on board, with Rayudu departing for 20.
And we have MS Dhoni walking out to the centre for the second time in this tour!
After 12 overs,India 69/3 ( Ambati Rayudu 20 , Kedar Jadhav 22)
Rayudu brings up the 50 for India with a single at the start of the 10th over, the same over in which Jadhav is dropped on 15 by Masakadza at point, with the former slapping it towards the off side looking for a boundary. Meanwhile, Rayudu and Jadhav are starting to build a valuable partnership at the centre, and are bringing India back on track.
After 9 overs,India 49/3 ( Ambati Rayudu 7 , Kedar Jadhav 15)
Zimbabwean skipper Graeme Cremer introduces himself into the attack in the first over after powerplay as Rayudu and Jadhav begin to rebuild the Indian innings after getting off to the worst of starts. The ninth over turns out to be a productive one for the visitors, in which Jadhav gets two much-needed boundaries to boost the run-rate.
Given the way they are batting right now, it might just turn out to be the right thing for India to do.
After 6 overs,India 29/3 ( Ambati Rayudu 2 , Kedar Jadhav 1)
Few would have imagined India struggling at 29/3 at the end of their powerplay after batting first for the first time in this tour. However, the Indian batsmen threw their wickets away, and the middle-order duo of Rayudu and Jadhav are under tremendous pressure, having walked out to the centre almost together. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, realise this is the best chance for them to pull of a historic series win!
After 3 overs,India 20/0 ( Lokesh Rahul 16 , Mandeep Singh 4)
Chatara is handed the ball as Rahul and Mandeep walk out to bat, with India batting first for the first time this tour. Maiden over for Chatara, who comes in place of Muzarabani, to start off the Indian innings, although Rahul comes back hard in the third over, smashing the same bowler for two fours and a massive straight six to collect 16 off it.
Three changes for Zimbabwe — Sibanda, Maruma and Chatara come in place of Raza, Mutumbodzi and Muzarabani.
Unchanged team for India, which means that Jayant Yadav ends up not getting a single opportunity in the entire tour!
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