Zimbabwe v India, 2nd T20I: 5 Talking Points

The balance was restored as the India claimed a 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second T20 international of the ZIM v IND series. Having restored the ODI bowling combination, the bowlers ran riot as they decimated the Zimbabwe batting unit. The Zimbabwe batsmen simply had no answer to the onslaught by Barinder Sran as well as Jasprit Bumrah as the duo concluded with 7 wickets between them. The reliable KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh smashed wonderful knocks as they completed an important 10-wicket win for India.

1. India restores changes in playing XI:

Perhaps one of the biggest talking points of the encounter came a few minutes prior to the start of the match. Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni were brought back into the fold as Rishi Dhawan and Jaydev Unadkat were left out. This move turned out to be a masterstroke as the Zimbabwean batting frailties were well and truly exposed in a similar way in the ODI series.

2. Zimbabwe dance to Barinder Sran’s tune:

23-year old Barinder Sran is turning out to be a wonderful find as far as the Indian bowling attack is concerned. Having been rested in the first T20 international, the left-arm seamer wrecked the top order claiming the wickets of Chibhabha, Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, and Tinotenda Mutombodzi. Sran completed with figures of 4/10 from his four overs as the hosts were left stranded on 4-28 with barely five overs bowled.

3. Jasprit Bumrah slays Zimbabwe lower order:

Jasprit Bumrah showed one and all that he was indeed the real deal as he concluded with figures of 3/11. After Barinder Sran’s early blitz, Bumrah soon removed Peter Moor before smashing the defenses of Elton Chigambura and Neville Madziva. With a wicket apiece from Chahal and Kulkarni, the Zimbabwe innings closed on 99-9 having batted the 20 overs.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: India thrash Zimbabwe by 10 wickets, level series 1-1

4. Peter Moor stands tall amid ruins:

The Zimbabwean batting looked feeble the moment the Indians brought back Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni. However, the important aspect of the Zimbabwe innings was the knock played by Peter Moor. The latter played just the one ODI and was brought back following the injury to Richmond Mutumbami. Moor was the only player in the batting lineup who looked somewhat assured of his batting as he played the anchoring innings by smashing 32 off 31 deliveries.

5. Rahul and Mandeep guide India home:

With just a paltry 100 runs to win, KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh came out to bat without a worry in the world. Rahul began to smash the ball to different parts in spite of the slow start to the innings. It wasn’t before long that he was joined by his RCB teammate Mandeep Singh. The latter also began to turn on the heat as the duo took the Zimbabwe bowling attack to the cleaners. The duo concluded the match unbeaten with only Mandeep completing his half-century. This was also India’s first T20 victory without losing a single wicket.

How did the match pan out? – Zim v Ind 2nd T20I Review: India ease past Zimbabwe to level series