Zimbabwe stun India by 10 runs to win the 2nd T20

Mangalore Today News Network

Harare: July 19, 2015: India’s winning run in Zimbabwe finally came to an end at Harare as Zimbabwe made a stunning comeback to win the 2nd Twenty20 by 10 runs and level the two-match series 1-1 on Sunday.

Graeme Cremer claimed three wickets, while Chamu Chibhabha scored a brilliant 67 off 51 balls as Zimbabwe, after scoring After posting 145 for 7 in 20 overs, restricted India to 135 for 9.

Robin Uthappa’s quick-fire knock of a 25-ball 42 put India India in control but the visitors were reduced to 69/5 in nine overs.

India were in big trouble with five wickets down in nine overs when Stuart Binny (24) and debutant Sanju Samson (19) played had a good stand but the visitors still fell short by 10 runs at the Harare Sports Club.

The visitors made poor start as they lost captain Ajinkya Rahane (4) and Murali Vijay (13) early. While Rahane was run out, Vijay was bowled by Cremer, who also removed Manish Pandey (0).

Uthappa found boundaries consistently while other batsmen struggled against the Zimbabwe bowlers. He scored nine boundaries before gerring dismissed by Williams. Kedar Jadhav (5) found himself short of the crease at the bowler’s end while taking a Binny’s double.

 

Binny (24) and debutant Sanju Samson (19) had a 36-run stand for the sixth wicket to revive India’s hopes but Cremer struck again to take his third wicket as Binny offered a catch to Chibhabha. Axar and Samson tried their best but it was not enough.

India, who had whitewashed the ODI series 3-0, ended with a 1-1 stalemate in the two-match Twenty20 series.

For Zimbabwe, Cremer picked up three wickets for 18 runs in his four overs, while Sean Williams (1 for 31), Taurai Muzarabani (1 for 23) and Chris Mpofu (1 for 26) took one each.

Earlier, Indian bowlers produced an impressive performance to restrict Zimbabwe to a small total of 145 for seven.
The Indians took wickets at regular intervals to deny momentum to the home side but opener Chamu Chibhabha ensured that Zimbabwe put up a respectable total with a superb 51-ball 67 after his side elected to bat on a slow pitch at the Harare Sports Club.

Chibhabha, who hit his fourth T20 half century today, held the Zimbabwe innings together and he was the only home side batsman who could give some fight to the disciplined Indian bowlers.

For India, pacers Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabbed two wickets each while Sandeep Sharma, Stuart Binny and Axar Patel took a wicket each. For Sandeep, it was his maiden international wicket as he got his first India cap in the first T20I against Zimbabwe two days back.

Zimbabwe did not start brightly as they lost opener Hamilton Masakadza (19) in the fourth over off the bowling of Sandeep who induced a faint edge off the bat for Robin Uthappa to do the rest behind the stumps.

The home side were soon 48 for two as Sikandar Raza (8), who captained Zimbabwe in the absence of Elton Chingumbura, could stay at the crease for just two overs before he fell as Sharma’s second victim. Zimbabwe were 48/2 in the sixth over then.

With India gaining the upper hand, captain Ajinkya Rahane gave the ball to part-timer Murali Vijay to bowl his off-breaks. Vijay, bowling for the first time in T20Is, did a decent job by conceding nine runs in his two overs as Zimbabwe could just reach 76 for 2 at the halfway mark.

Zimbabwe needed to push up the scoring rate and while doing so, they lost the wickets of Sean Williams (17) and Charles Coventry (4) in the 12th and 16th overs without contributing much.

It was left to Chibhabha to take Zimbabwe to a respectable total and he did it to quite an extent before he was out in the penultimate over. Ultimately, Zimbabwe failed to give the final push as they lost three wickets in the final two overs. They added just 33 runs in the last five overs and lost four wickets.