Zimbabwe v India 1st T20I: India Player Ratings

The Indian team finally suffered their first defeat on the tour when they lost in the close encounter in the first T20 of the series. After having thoroughly outplayed the hosts in the ODI series, the Indian T20 outfit put on a lackluster performance as Zimbabwe eked out a 2 run win at Harare. India started off poorly as their pace bowlers, barring Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to trouble the Zimbabwean batsmen. The problems didn’t end just there as the middle overs saw the Zimbabwe batters steal runs with ease. The batting, though steady throughout the innings, couldn’t pick up the pace at any stage to overhaul the decent target of 170 on a tricky typical Zimbabwe wicket. While some players showed resilience in the middle, others succumbed to the pressure. Here are the India player ratings for the first T20I: KL Rahul – 2 India batsman KL Rahul. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) KL Rahul had a dream debut in the ODIs as he struck a ton on debut and was eventually named the player of the tournament of the ODI series. However, the fairy tale didn’t follow in the T20s for him. He was dismissed on a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. Some poor footwork saw him lose his wooden work to Donald Tiripano. His dismissal saw India get an early jolt in the innings, following which the middle order was exposed early in the innings. Also read – I knew I was blessed with certain skills: KL Rahul Mandeep Singh – 6 Mandeep Singh. (Photo Source: BCCI) Mandeep Singh, after missing out in the T20 series, made his T20 debut for the men in blue. He had a decent start to his career. He played with caution and put on a good display of batting in his innings of 31 that lasted 27 balls. One might claim that the innings was rather sluggish but the effort was fair enough, considering the big occasion and the tricky conditions in the middle. He should have capitalized on the start that he had got but that now seems to be a reserve case for some other occasion. Ambati Rayudu – 5 India batsman Ambati Rayudu. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) The senior most player in the middle order after MS Dhoni, AmbatiRayudu, had a lot of hopes residing on his shoulders. He got off to a good start and looked good for a big one. With 4 caressing boundaries in his 16-ball 19, Rayudu helped India recover from the early jolt of KL Rahul. He put on 44 runs for the 2nd wicket with Mandeep Singh. But that was never enough when the target looked daunting. A slightly better application on the field could have done wonders for him and the team. Manish Pandey – 8: India’s batsman Manish Pandey holds his head after losing his wicket during the first T20 cricket match. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Manish Pandey was the sole performer with the bat for the visitors in the first T20I. Till the time he was at the crease, India looked cruising towards the total. Having come in to bat early in the 6th over, Pandey played with flair to settle in then launched 3 maximums into the stands. He looked set for a brisk half-century but fell short by two runs as he perished in his attempt to clear the fence in the death overs. He scored 48 off 35 balls. Kedar Jadhav – 5 Kedar Jadhav. (Photo Source: BCCI) It was another chance gone wasted for the wicket keeper from Pune. KedarJadhav was promoted ahead of MS Dhoni, but the middle order batsman failed to live up to the expectation. He showed promise when he hit a six and a four in quick succession but then threw his wicket on 19. Yet again, he couldn’t capitalize on the chance that he got. Jadhav, who had scored his maiden ODI ton last year in the same nation, hasn’t clicked on this tour yet. MS Dhoni – 4 India’s captain MS Dhoni. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Skipper marvel failed to deliver the goods on the big night this time around. MS Dhoni, the batsman renowned for finishing off the games, had the stage set up for another big finish. India needed 4 to win off the last ball but the Indian skipper could manage just a single. He remained unbeaten on 19 off 17 balls as India lost their first game on tour. Dhoni, who batted for the first time on the tour, definitely didn’t look his usual self at the crease. Also read – We didn’t bowl and field that well: MS Dhoni Axar Patel – 7 India bowler Axar Patel. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) While most of the Indian bowlers struggled in the first T20I, it was only Axar Patel who bowled well on the day. He was impressive with the bat too. Earlier in the day, he bowled his quota of 4 overs to pick up 1/18. He picked up the wicket of TinotendaMutombodzi. He also played a part in running out SikandarRaza. When he came in to bat towards the end of India’s innings, he launched a maximum to ease out the pressure on skipper MSD. Axar scored 18 off 9 balls. Rishi Dhawan – 5 India’s bowler Rishi Dhawan bowls during the first T20 cricket match. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Rishi Dhawan got a look into play in the first T20 after being benched in the ODI series. He was given responsibility to bowl with the new ball but failed to impress. In his quota of 4 overs, he leaked out 42 runs and picked a solitary wicket of Chamu Chibhabha. He came in to bat in a pressure situation when India needed 8 off the final over. In an ideal case, he should have seen India home, but it wasn’t the case here. Jaydev Unadkat – 2 Indian cricketer Jaydev Unadkat. Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) Jaydev Unadkat was India’s new ball bowler in the match but the young man failed to live up to the high expectations and the high benchmark he has set in the past in the domestic circuit. He was taken away for 43 runs in his quota of 4 overs. He had no figures to show in the wicket columns either, which in itself speaks volumes about his poor day at the office. Yuzvendra Chahal – 4 Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: BCCI) Yuzvendra Chahal was a revelation for India in the ODI series but the young leggie had a relatively poor show in his T20 debut. Chahal bagged a solitary wicket of Malcolm Waller but was on the expensive side of the economy rate in the match. He was taken away for 38 runs in his 4 overs. India would hope for the emerging spinner to come out good in a couple of matches to follow. Jasprit Bumrah – 8 India bowler Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Jasprit Bumrah bowled as the first change bowler in the match. He was clearly the pick of the Indian bowlers as the Zimbabwean batsmen failed to read him yet again. He bowled a maiden first up and removed Hamilton Masakadza to draw first blood in the match. In his first 3 overs, he gave just 10 runs. He was on the expensive side in his last over when Elton Chigumbura took him for 14 runs. He finished with figures of 2/24 in his 4 overs. Also check out – We didn’t bowl and field that well: MS Dhoni

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