Zimbabwe v India, 3rd T20I - 5 Talking Points

India claimed a humdinger 3-run win as they went on to secure the series courtesy of a 2-1 win. Barinder Sran became the hero for the Indians as he kept the hosts at bay. This was the first time in the series India had been put into bat first. With the conditions becoming more in favor of the bowlers, it was clear that the encounter was certainly going to be a close one.

Also, the fact that it was the series decider, Zimbabwe was simply unwilling to give up the series as easily as they did in the ODIs. Among the plethora of talking points on the show, here are five of the most prominent talking points from the encounter.

1. Zimbabwe put pressure on Indian top-order

Having won the all-important toss, Zimbabwe put the Indians into bat first. The wicket that was a batting paradise initially had certainly slowed up quite a bit for this encounter. After initially weathering the storm of Donald Tiripano and Tendai Chatara, Mandeep Singh threw his wicket away as he attempted one shot too many. KL Rahul’s off-stump went for a stroll while Manish Pandey was, unfortunately, run-out by Elton Chigambura.

2. Donald Tiripano stars with the ball

If there was a star in the Zimbabwe bowling card today, it was speedster Donald Tiripano. The latter first picked up the all-important wicket of Mandeep Singh in the initial part of the innings. He was brought back into the attack only in the death by Graeme Cremer and heavily impressed. He first removed Kedar Jadhav and knocked over the stumps of MS Dhoni to conclude with figures of 3/20 in his quota of four overs.

How did the match pan out? – Zim v Ind 3rd T20I Review: Jadhav’s fifty seals the series for India

3. Kedar Jadhav makes opportunity count

Kedar Jadhav hasn’t had an awful lot to do. Moreover, he hasn’t really batted in the series and this was his chance to shine. Of course, he lost batsmen at the other end. However, that failed to stop Kedar Jadhav as the latter went on to defy the odds and paly his natural game. He went on to smash 58 as he was ably supported by Axar Patel who smashed 20 including 15 runs in the final over of the match.

4. Sibanda and Moor keep Zimbabwe in the hunt

Making a comeback to the side was the experienced Vusi Sibanda. It was a big call after having left out Sikandar Raza Butt. However, Sibanda came out all guns blazing as he smashed Dhawal Kulkarni all around the park. Peter Moor also for his part with three massive sixes to his name as he compiled 26 off 17 deliveries. Sibanda concluded his innings with 5 boundaries, smashing 28 for his efforts.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: India win the nail biter by 3 runs to win the series 2-1

5. India clinches knife-edge encounter

The young and he inexperienced Barinder Sran was handed the ball by skipper MS Dhoni to bowl the final delivery with hosts requiring 21 runs. Maruma made things easier for Zimbabwe as he smashed the first ball out of the park and induced a free-hit and a wide from Barinder Sran. However, the way Sran went on to pick himself back up defied expectation as he dismissed Elton Chigambura in the final delivery of the series.