"Looking forward to go there" - Shubman Gill sets sights on Sri Lanka tour under Gautam Gambhir

The Shubman Gill-led India National Cricket Team went head-to-head with the Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe National Cricket Team in the fifth T20I of the India tour of Zimbabwe 2024 at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 14.

The Shubman Gill-led side entered the match with not much on the line as they had already sealed the series after bouncing back strong from the upset defeat in the opening clash of the tour.

Everyone was shocked when the star-studded Indian team lost to Zimbabwe in the series opener by 13 runs while chasing a small total of 116. This led to Gill and his team facing heavy trolling and criticism, but they made sure they shut down the critics with their performances in the following matches.

The Men In Blue registered an epic win in the second T20I by 100 runs as the batters showcased sheer class, with Abhishek Sharma smashing a ton while Ruturaj Gaikwad (77) and Rinku Singh (48) playing blistering knocks.

Shubman Gill's team followed up the 100-run win with a good 23-run victory in the next match as Shubman Gill led from the front and great support to him was provided by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad as India posted a good total of 182 for 4. The bowlers stepped up with their performances and restricted the Chevrons to 159/6 to guide their team to a 23-run win.

In the next game, India opted to bowl first as they wanted to test themselves while chasing the target. The bowlers made things easy for India by allowing Zimbabwe to post just 152/7 on the board. It looked like India could win the match, but not easily, considering the bowling unit of the home team. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill made it look like a walk in the park and India won by 10 wickets with 28 balls remaining.

Excellent series - Shubman Gill after 5th T20I win

In the 5th T20I, India scored 167 runs at the loss of 6 wickets with Sanju Samson being the top run-getter as he scored 58 runs. With the ball, Mukesh Kumar starred with his 4-wicket haul, and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 125 as the Men In Blue won by 42 runs.

Speaking after the 5th T20I, Shubman Gill said that they showed hunger after losing the first game. He also showered rich praise on his players for adapting to the conditions quickly and helping the team win four matches on the trot.

Shubman Gill further asserted that he is looking forward to performing for India in the upcoming Sri Lanka series. The India National Cricket Team captain elaborated:

"Excellent series. The hunger that we showed after the first loss was phenomenal to watch. Lot of the players had long flights, they weren't used to the conditions. The way they adapted was remarkable. I have been there (Sri Lanka) once for Asia Cup, looking forward to go there and performing."