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Team India registers their first victory under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s maiden T20I half-century for India did not allow the Zimbabwe bowlers to dent the Indian batting line-up in a significant way. But it is Mayank Yadav who made the difference between the two teams.
Chasing a target of 126 runs, the India National Cricket Team won the first of the three-match ODI series by 7 wickets with 40 balls to spare. Therefore, with the emphatic win, the Shreyas Iyer-led team takes a 1-0 lead in the bilateral T20I series.
A much-needed win for the India National Cricket Team in T20Is
The Indian cricket team badly needed the win as they had to endure two T20I series defeats in a row. India started their run in the post-Suryakumar Yadav era with the 2-0 defeat against Ireland and then a 4-0 defeat against England.
Shreyas Iyer and Co. walked into the ground in Harare today to claim a win at any cost. With a new-look T20I playing combination, the multi-time T20 World Cup winners were in command from the beginning of the innings.
Mayank Yadav struck on the very first ball of the match
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav announced his comeback in international cricket by clinching a wicket on the very first ball of the match. Maintaining his trademark sheer pace, Yadav concluded his 4-over spell with a couple of wickets for an economy rate of 4.50. Prince Yadav was also impressive with his 2/19 bowling figures in 4 overs.
For the third pacer, Ashok Sharma, who made his international debut in T20Is today, returned without grabbing any wicket and conceded an economy rate of 7.25. Shivam Dube and Ravi Bishnoi also had decent performances today against Zimbabwe.
In the presence of multiple explosive batters in the playing combination, the target of 126 was simply not enough to put up any resistance against the Men in Blue.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the main performer with the bat for the Indian cricket team, scoring 50 off 19. With the half-century, he became the youngest-ever international batter to score a half-century in international cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar.
Despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking half-century, Mayank Yadav was named the Player of the Match for his impactful bowling spell, which did not allow the home team to score runs at a good pace.
"It's a special moment for me": Mayank Yadav after POTM performance
Mayank mentioned that it was a special moment for him as he helped his nation to get a victory. The fast bowler also stated that from the surface, he received extra bounce and some movement as well, which troubled the opposing team's batters in the first innings.
“It feels great to contribute to the country in a win. It's a special moment for me. I was enjoying bowling on this wicket after playing in India. The bounce I was getting today, and I was getting seam movement off the wicket as well. Their spells helped to keep them to under 130,” Mayank Yadav said at the presentation ceremony after the match.
