ZIM vs IND 2024: Zimbabwe vs India, 3rd T20I - Who Said What?

India registered another comfortable win against Zimbabwe in Harare and took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Captain Shubman Gill led from the front hitting 66 runs off 49 deliveries while Ruturaj Gaikwad made 49 runs off 28 balls. After an impressive show in the second T20I, the Pune-born cricketer managed to keep up with the momentum as a courtesy of his blistering knock, India registered 182 runs in the first innings.

When it came to the chase, Zimbabwe struggled with the bat. They lost three quick wickets of Wessly Madhevere, Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani and after which, the defeat was only a matter of time. After the end of the powerplay, Washington Sundar picked up the wicket of skipper Sikandar Raza, who was adjudged Player of the Match in the first T20I and in the same over, he sent Johnathan Campbell back to the pavilion for one run.

After that, Dion Myers and Clive Madande looked in good touch but India eventually won the match by 23 runs. Washington Sundar with his three for 15 was the star of the night. Meanwhile, with the win, the Men in Blue took a 2-1 lead in the series.

Also Read: Why is Riyan Parag not playing third T20I?

1. Criticism and laurels

Shubman Gill was called selfish by the netizens on X for retaining his position at the top of the order and sending centurion Abhishek down the order. However, Gill had a brilliant night in Harare and played a vital role in India’s success in the third T20I. Even in the second innings, his bowling changes were impressive, helping the team pick up a comfortable win.

2. Consistent Gaikwad

After a stunning show in the second T20I, Gaikwad managed to keep up with his form in the third T20I. When the other batters in the middle order were struggling, Gaikwad looked impressive with his quickfire 49. His knock was key, given India’s position at one time.

3. Avesh for India

Ace pacer Avesh Khan was subjected to a lot of criticism in yesteryears. However, since IPL 2024, he has improved significantly and has been excellent, to say the least. He couldn’t make it into India’s squad for the T20 World Cup but in the series against Zimbabwe, Avesh has been incredible, as he has delivered consistently with the new ball.

Losing skipper Sikandar Raza said:

I think it's the fielding again, we are proud of our fielding but the wheels came off today, we gave away 20 extra runs and we lost by 23 runs. We still have problems at the top but I have utmost faith in them that they will come good some time. We have tried 15 different partners in the last year or so, club has revived, it's time that our players including myself take up the responsibility. You cannot fix a problem by creating another problem, we have picked 3 openers for a reason.

Winning skipper Shubman Gill said:

Definitely very good, it was a crucial game for us, the way we started with the bat and ball was good. The wicket was a bit double-paced, the odd ball was gripping and it was not hit the length balls. We know that if there is something in the wicket, it will be more with the new ball, as the ball gets old it's a bit easier to score. Everyone is contributing and that's a good sign.

POTM Washington Sundar said:

Feels amazing and everytime for the country, it feels amazing. It was definietely a better wicket, in the first two games there was more for the bowlers compared to this game, our batters batted well. It did put a lot of pressure on us and we wanted to execute our plays the best we can to restrict them. Hopefully, we get to see a lot of places in Zimbabwe and explore more, hopefully we can seal the series on Saturday.