"Heavy roller in the innings break did..." - Sikandar Raza after India thrash Zimbabwe by 10 wickets

Team India, on Saturday (July 13), thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the fourth T20I to clinch the five-match series with a match remaining.

For the fourth game in a row, Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first. Zimbabwe started cautiously with their openers adding 63 runs for the first wicket. The hosts then lost four wickets in quick time to find themselves reeling at 96 for 4.

However, captain Sikandar Raza stood firm at one end and scored 46 runs off 28 balls to help Zimbabwe cross the 150-run mark. The home side eventually finished their innings on 152 for 7. For India, Khaleel Ahmed took 2 wickets while Tushar Deshpande, Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Dube picked up a wicket each.

In reply, India chased down the total in less than 16 overs without losing any wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the charge with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 93 runs from just 53 balls with the help of 13 fours and 2 sixes. On the other hand, Gill played the role of the second fiddle to perfection, scoring 58 from 39 balls.

Sikandar Raza reacts after heavy loss:

Speaking after the heavy loss, Sikandar Raza said that the hosts thought the total was good enough on the damp pitch. However, he stated that even a 180-plus total would not have been enough the way Gill and Jaiswal batted. The veteran allrounder also stated that the pitch became easier to bat due to the heavy rolling during the innings break.

"I think the wicket was a bit damp and we thought 160 was par. But with the way they batted even 180 would have not been enough. We keep growing and learning from each game. I think 8-10 runs more in the last 5 overs," said Sikandar Raza.

"There was a bit of kick and bounce, so we had to rein ourselves in at the start of the innings. The heavy roller in the innings break did the trick for them, it became a beautiful wicket and they could play on the up. There is a game tomorrow and even if we lose 3-2 then we can keep our head high," he added.

With the fate of the series decided in India's favor, Zimbabwe will be looking to end the assignment on a winning note by winning the fifth and final game. The last game of the series is scheduled to take place on Sunday.