Young Team India faced a surprising defeat by Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the five-match series on Saturday, July 6, at Harare Sports Club. Chasing a modest target of 116, the Men in Blue were bowled out for 102 in 19.5 overs, with captain Shubman Gill top-scoring with 31 (29).
After this disappointing loss, India has little time to regroup before the second T20I on Sunday, July 7, at the same venue. The young team will be eager to redeem themselves after tarnishing the crown of world champions handed over by the senior players.
There are several areas for improvement in their batting, as the young side struggled to build partnerships in the middle overs, which ultimately cost them the game. Three debutants featured for India in the first T20I: Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Abhishek Sharma.
Unfortunately, the trio had a forgettable game, with Sharma getting dismissed for a four-ball duck, while Parag (2 off 3) and Jurel (6 off 14) were also dismissed cheaply. Ravi Bishnoi, however, excelled with the ball, registering figures of 4/13 in four overs. Despite the poor performance in the first T20I, the team management is unlikely to make any changes to the playing XI, preferring to give the underperforming youngsters more opportunities.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe will be thrilled with their clinical performance, which brought the world champions to their knees. Captain Sikandar Raza was the star of the show, contributing both with the bat and ball. Raza scored 17 (19) and took 3/25, dismissing Shubman Gill, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mukesh Kumar.
Therefore, both teams are unlikely to make changes for the upcoming clash, as neither side will want to alter their lineup this early in the series.
Also read: IND vs ZIM 2nd T20I: Harare Sports Club Pitch Report
IND vs ZIM 2nd T20: Predicted Playing XI
India’s Predicted XI: Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed
Zimbabwe’s Predicted XI: Wessly Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett , Sikandar Raza (c), Dion Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara