Shaking off the disappointment of the previous evening's shocking loss, the young Indian team produced a batting exhibition to overpower Zimbabwe by 100 runs in Harare on Sunday, July 7. Abhishek Sharma's maiden international hundred, Ruturaj Gaikwad's enterprising fifty and Rinku Singh's blitzkrieg headlined the six-hitting clinic as the visitors piled on the agony for the hosts. (Highlights | Scorecard)
Chasing a mammoth target of 235 runs, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 134 runs as Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar bagged three wickets apiece, and Ravi Bishnoi produced a miserly spell (2-11 in four overs). With the huge win, India levelled the five-match series 1-1.
Earlier, depicting that last game's failure was perhaps a one-off, young India opener Abhishek smashed his first-ever international century in just 46 balls. The 23-year-old southpaw was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first T20I, but made amends in style on Sunday with a blazing knock that was studded with eight sixes and seven fours.
Abhishek was out right after completing his hundred, but by then he had done his job. By getting to a ton in just his second T20I, Abhishek re-wrote the record for the fewest innings taken by an Indian batter to hit a T20 international hundred. The mark was previously held by Deepak Hooda, who got there in three innings.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad top-order batter brought his Indian Premier League form into Harare with a similarly rampaging innings that typified effortless big-hitting. He bludgeoned 26 runs off one Dion Myers over, bringing up his fifty off 33 balls with a towering maximum that landed on the roof.
But his onslaught was only beginning to peak. Abhishek took just 13 more balls to score his next 47 runs, getting to three figures on the back of three consecutive sixes against Wellington Masakadza.
The slow left-arm spinner did dislodge Abhishek off the very next ball, but by then the youngster had set India up for a huge total. And Ruturaj (77 not out off 47 balls), Rinku (48 not out off 22 balls) duly obliged with some lusty blows at the death, as India posted a virtually unassailable total of 234 runs.
India captain Shubman Gill had earlier won the toss and elected to field first at the Harare Sports Club. The visitors added B Sai Sudharsan, another young southpaw, to their playing XI in place of Khaleel Ahmed. Zimbabwe went in with the same playing XI.
Playing XIs
India: Shubman Gill(c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel(w), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
Zimbabwe: Wessly Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza(c), Dion Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande(w), Wellington Masakadza, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara.
The third T20I will be played at the same venue on Wednesday (July 10).
