Zimbabwe v India T20I series: Zimbabwe Player Ratings

Zimbabwe had nothing to lose when they came into the T20I series. Having lost the ODI series miserably 3-0, they were free spirited in their approach as they played the mighty Indians in the shortest format. They started off exceedingly well, scoring an above par score of 170 in the first match. Their bowlers backed the batting and eventually defeated India for the first time on tour.

However, consistency, or perhaps the lack of it, saw them crash out to a 10-wicket defeat in the second match of the tournament. In the series decider they needed 139 to win and it was all in the range of the hosts. However, the lack of experience in the team as a unit was at display yet again as they came so close to a historic series win yet fell short of it. They could manage just 135 on the day. So which players played well and who couldn’t live up to the expectations?

Here are the Zimbabwe player ratings:

Chamu Chibhabha – 4/10:

Zimbabwean opener Chamu Chibhabha underperformed throughout the series. No matter why the host team often found themselves wanting for a decent start at the top order. He was dismissed for just 10 in the first match and then scored a 19-ball 20 in the second match. In the last game, he could manage just 5 and there ended the tournament for the young man. He surely would like to improve at the biggest stage of the game.

Hamilton Masakadza – 5/10:

The senior most player in the team, Hamilton Masakadza, was under the scrutiny before the tournament commenced. He got starts but could never convert them to big scores. He started off with a high flying 15 ball 25 but then failed to cross the 20 run mark in the remaining two matches. He scored 10 and 15 in the matches that followed. For a batsman with experience as much as he, Masakadza had a rough run this season.

How did the Indian players fare? – Zimbabwe v India T20I series: India Player Ratings

Peter Moor – 6/10:

Peter Moor lost his place in the side in the first game of the series, largely due to his poor show in the ODI series. However, an injury to their keeper Richmond Mutombami in the first T20, saw him get back to the playing XI. He played well for his 31 in the 2^nd game and was the lone ranger for Zimbabwe as his side could manage just 99 in 20 overs. In the final match, he gave a brief scare to the Indian team when he clobbered 3 sixes in his innings of 21-ball 26. He looked impressive with the bat.

Vusi Sibanda – 5/10:

Vusi Sibanda made a sporadic appearance in the T20 series. He was not a part of the playing eleven for the first 2 matches of the series but was picked for the final game. He did not disappoint, though. Coming in to bat at number 3 early in the innings, he took the counter attack to the Indian bowlers and looked dangerous as he hit 5 fours in his innings of 28. Maybe the team missed the trick when they did not field him in the earlier games.

Timycen Maruma – 7/10:

Timycen Maruma got just one opportunity to play in the series but he showed what he is capable of in the solitary opportunity that he got. Coming in to bat when the curtains were closing for Zimbabwe, Maruma showed just why he could have got a few more chances in the series and perhaps even be promoted up the order. He hit Jasprit Bumrah, the most successful bowler of the series, for a maximum before following it up with another maximum off the bowling off Barinder Sran. 21 needed off the last over was certainly a little too much, but Maruma’s unbeaten 13-ball 21 kept the hosts interested till the last ball.

Malcolm Waller – 6/10:                          

Malcolm Waller ended up playing a role that wasn’t initially his. When Mutambami got injured early in the tournament, it was Waller who donned the wicket keeping gloves for his side. In the batting front, he got a decent 30 in the first match and held the middle order with Sikandar Raza. He showed brief resistance in the second match as well, where he scored 14 runs. The final game saw a rare failure as he could score just 10.

Also check out – Awards galore at the conclusion of the Zimbabwe v India T20I series

Elton Chigumbura – 7/10:

Elton Chigumbura saw himself in a situation identical to the one in which his heroics had put India’s skipper MS Dhoni in, during the first T20I. With 4 needed to win off the last ball and hand Zimbabwe a historic series win, Chigumbura ended up getting dismissed as India sealed the series 2-1. He was the one who lit the tournament earlier with his unbeaten 26-ball 54 in the first game that propelled Zimbabwe to a total of 170. He failed thereafter, though, scoring 8 off 19 in the 2nd match and then scoring a run-a-ball 16 in the series decider.

Graeme Cremer – 2.5/10:

The Zimbabwean skipper had a disappointing series on the personal front. Neither could he shine with the bat nor did he make an impact with his bowling. Scores of 4 each in the first two matches did not help the cause of his team. He was found wanting with the ball too as he gave away 91 runs in the 10 overs he bowled in the series and picked up just one wicket. His captaincy wasn’t at par either as Zimbabwe failed to connect the dots after having won the first game.

Neville Madziva – 5/10:

Neville Madziva did not have a merry time with the ball in the 3-match T20I series against India. He started off on the expensive side and could perhaps never come back. He returned with figures of 1/34 in the first T20I. He went wicketless in the second and finished with 1/32 in the final game of the series. Throughout the series, he did not look like a dangerous prospect for the Indian batsmen at any stage of time.

Donald Tiripano – 7/10:

Donald Tiripano was the leading wicket taker for Zimbabwe in the series and undoubtedly the most economical one too, with an economy of just 6. He started off with an expensive spell of 1/35 in the first game but came back strong in the second, giving away just 11 runs in 3 overs. His best came in the final match though when he scalped 3/20 in 4 overs. His spell included the big wicket of Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

Also check out – Fake WhatsApp chat: Indian fans react during the last over of the 3rd T20I

Tendai Chatara – 6/10:

Tendai Chatara did not make it to the playing eleven in the first two matches of the season. He, however, was drafted into the side for the decider. Bowling with the new ball, he got some beating by KL Rahul after having bowled a maiden first up. He ended with figures of 0/34 in his 4 overs and hence could not pose any threat after his good start. He gets the credit for the way he set up things for his fellow bowlers though.

Sikandar Raza – 5/10:

Sikandar Raza played 2 matches in the series before being left out for the final game. A lot of hopes banked on the all-rounder but he largely disappointed in the series. He got off to a brisk start in the first T20, scoring 20 off 18 balls. He even backed it up by giving away just 18 runs in his 3 overs in the relatively high scoring game of the tournament. However, he could not impress in either of the departments in the 2nd game and was dropped subsequently.

Richmond Mutambami – 2/10:

It will only be unfair to rate Richmond Mutambami for this series. The Zimbabwean wicket keeper played just one match before getting injured and subsequently being ruled out for the remainder of the series. He was injured by an incoming delivery by Jaydev Unadkat that hit his midriff and then had to carried out of the ground.

Taurai Muzarabani – 5/10:

Zimbabwean spinner Taurai Muzarabani was expected to reap out maximum benefits from the mysterious home tracks. However, he could not trouble the Indian batsmen in the t20s. Having started off decently with figures of 2/31 in his 4 overs, Muzarabani showed promise for sure. But he went wicketless in the match that followed. He did not get a place in the playing eleven for the final match though.

How did Zimbabwe players fare in the 3rd T20I – Zimbabwe v India, 3rd T20I: Zimbabwe Player Ratings

Tinotenda Mutombodzi – 2/10:

Zimbabwean middle-order batsman Tinotenda Mutombodzi got two opportunities in the T20 series but he failed to impress on either occasion. He struggled for his 3 runs that came off 8 balls in the first T20I and things only got worse for him thereon. He was dismissed for a golden duck in the match that followed and there ended the tour for him as he was not picked up for the last match. With 3 runs in 2 matches, he surely had a poor outing.

Bench – Tapiwa Mufudza, Tawanda Mupariwa, Wellington Masakadza, Craig Ervine