India lost the last game of the tour by ten runs to Zimbabwe in Harare and finished the two-match T20I series 1-1. After losing the toss the Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led attack restricted Zimbabwe to 145 for seven even as Chamu Chibhabha (67) ably anchored the hosts’ innings. With two wickets including that of the opener in the pen-ultimate over, the pacer finished with two for 26 while Mohit Sharma took two for 28.
However, after Robin Uthappa’s 25-ball 42, India suffered a middle-order collapse and were left reeling on 69 for five. Not able to recover, the visitors were kept to 135 for nine by the hosts’ bowlers.
Chasing for the first time on the tour, India lost Captain Ajinkya Rahane to a run-out after getting off the mark with a boundary. Robin Uthappa who then joined Murali Vijay in the middle powerfully struck Taurai Muzarabani for back to back fours. The wicketkeeper-batsman hit Chris Mpofu for three boundaries an over later. Pulling, driving, nudging the ball, he continued to deal in boundaries.
India were cruising along when Vijay lost his bails to Graeme Cremer and Manish Pandey followed him back two balls later; adjudged lbw. With Uthappa hitting the ball back to Sean Williams in the next, the visitors were pegged back.
In the next over though India suffered yet another blow as a direct hit from Muazarabani found Jadhav short of his crease while looking to squeeze in a second run.
At 69 for five after a mini middle-order collapse, the match was precariously poised when Sanju Samson joined Stuart Binny in the middle in an effort to keep India in the fray. The pair stitched together a 36-run partnership as they looked to stabilise the innings but a brilliant catch close to the ground diving forward at long-off by Chibhabha sent Binny back.
With six wickets gone and 41 required off 29, India were on the backfoot when Axar Patel came out to bat and survived as Cremer missed out a tough chance near extra cover. With pressure mounting, Sanju Samson holed out to long-on in the next over. India were fighting an uphill battle as Bhuvneshwar joined Patel in the middle. Muzarabani however kept both the lower-order bats on their toes and looking to clear the fence, Patel departed hitting the full toss to the deep in the 19th over. With 19 required of the last over, Bhuvneshwar was run out. Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma were left stranded as stand-in captain Sikandar Raza led Zimbabwe to victory.
Earlier, while Chibhabha held-up one end, the Indian attack struck at regular intervals to deny the hosts substantial partnerships. The opening pair of Hamilton Masakadza and Chibhabha looked in good nick as they collected seven off Bhuvenshwar in the first over. Chibhabha slammed Sandeep to the boundary on the on side while his partner found the ropes on square-leg in the next.
The first break was applied when Masakadza was sent back by Sandeep after being lofted over long-on off a free hit. The young pacer forced a nick from the opener through to the wicketkeeper. 20 runs later, Sikandar Raza departed top-edging a short pitched delivery from Mohit to third-man where Sanju Samson took the catch.
Rahane then introduced spin from either end. Vijay’s off-spin in tandem with Patel’s left-arm spin briefly curbed the flow of boundaries which had come more freely off the pacers during the powerplay. But Chibhabha broke the shackles by pulling Patel to the fence in the tenth over.
But Patel returned to claim Sean Williams in his next. The batsman, who had launched Sandeep over deep backward square-leg for four departed hitting the ball back towards the bowler and the spinner took a low catch to leave the hosts on 85 for three.
However Chibhabha finding the gaps and fence ensured a steady flow of runs for Zimbabwe. He struck Mohit past extra cover and past third man as he continued to deal in boundaries while approaching his fifty which he reached with a single to long-on off Sandeep. Indian bowlers meanwhile struck at the other end. Binny had Charles Coventry nick the ball to Uthappa behind the stumps in the last quarter of the innings.
Bhuvneshwar brought back into the attack in death overs did the job assigned to him by ensuring that the home team couldn’t unleash themselves. He conceded only five runs in the 17th over and then yorked Chibhabha and Craig Ervine in the pen-ultimate over. In the last over, Prosper Utseya taking the aerial route to Mohit departed with three balls left in the innings. Malcolm Waller then added three to the total to finish the innings.
Man of the Match: Chamu Chibhabha for his 67 off 51 to set-up match for Zimbabwe
