India Crushes Zimbabwe by 42 Runs to Win the T20 Series 4-1

Zimbabwe staged a heroic comeback but fell short

India vs Zimbabwe match in the T20 series /

By Caroline Chepkorir

India defeated Zimbabwe by 42 runs in the fifth T20I to clinch the 5-match series 4-1. After losing the series opener, India made a remarkable comeback to register four wins in a row under the leadership of Shubman Gill against hosts Zimbabwe in Harare.

Prior to this, Zimbabwe was dominant in the last Twenty20 International, where they attempted to win the series on a 3-2 score as a consolation. Zimbabwe switched their playing XI; Brandon Mavuta replaced Tendai Chatara, while Sikandar Raza chose to bowl first against India.

Sanju Samson’s brilliant strike of four sixes followed by Shivam Dube’s quick cameo, pushed India to 167/6 in 20 overs. In response, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Dion Myers gave hope to Zimbabwe by anchoring the chase in the middle overs, but Dube chipped in with a couple of wickets.

Kumar was the pick of the tourists’ bowlers with career-best figures as he took wickets at the start and end of the Zimbabwe innings, with fellow seamer Shivam Dube taking 2-25 in four overs.

Throughout the chase, the hosts frequently dropped wickets and were unable to reach the needed run rate. The 12th-ranked T20I team was bowled out for 125 in 18.3 overs, despite a hard-charging 34 from Dion Myers.

 Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar, who picked up eight wickets from the five matches with a miserly economy of 5.16, was named the Player of the Series.

After the match, Yuvraj took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his emotions after winning the title.

 "Feels good to be holding the winning trophy at this age too. Absolutely thrilled with the boys’ (or should I say men’s) performance throughout the tournament! It’s always great to be back on the park with legends from around the world," Yuvraj posted on X.

The Indian men’s cricket team will tour Sri Lanka next, starting on July 27. The Men in Blue will play three T20Is and as many ODIs against the island nation.