Jaiswal did something awesome in the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe. The champion opener of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 made it a remarkable start for India in the first over against skipper Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe. A full-toss had already been smashed into a powerful six by Jaiswal when the captain overstepped, providing Jaiswal with a free hit, which he sent out for a second consecutive six, netting 13 from just one delivery. This incredible feat set a new world record for the most runs off the first legal delivery in a men’s T20I game.
Though Jaiswal had gotten off to a firing start, Raza made up for his mistakes a little while later. In the fourth ball of the same over, Raza bowled out Jaiswal. That was a vital wicket for a much-needed comeback for Zimbabwe. On the part of Raza, the celebrations were equally fiery, as he gave Jaiswal a stern sendoff. The fall of Jaiswal early enough was quite a blow for India, as he had been in good form throughout the series.
India’s Bowling Performance
A day before this, India had come out with a convincing 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe. Shubman Gill and his boys had already taken a 3-1 lead
in the series. Jaiswal played an important role in that victory as well, scoring an outstanding 93 off 53 balls. He single-handedly took India to dominate the fourth T20I and set the background for the final match of the series.
However, India lost Jaiswal early in the fifth T20I and further slipped. while the wicket of Abhishek Sharma was taken by Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe for 14 runs. Shortly afterward, in the fourth over, the Zimbabwean pacer struck again to send back India’s
captain Shubman Gill at 13 runs. The flurry of wickets meant India found themselves at 40-3 inside the powerplay. That put them in a stressful position.
The contributions of Jaiswal through the series were immense. His aggressive batting and the ability to score big at a fast pace gave
Indian innings strong starts more often than not. The record-breaking performance in the fifth T20I has shown much of his talent and the potential he holds. He was dismissed very quickly in the final match, but he certainly left his mark in the series.
The Indian wins were largely due to India’s bowlers. In the aftermath of early setbacks in the fifth T20I, it was the bowlers who made the necessary effort to restrict
Zimbabwe from rocketing away. Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande, and Shivam Dube shared key wickets between them. More importantly, the spinners—constituting Ravi Bishnoi,
Abhishek Sharma, and Washington Sundar—were economical enough, with nobody conceding more than seven runs an over. Their performance ensured that Zimbabwe could not set a challenging target.
Jaiswal Record-Breaking Hit
Zimbabwe did fight in the series. The rate at which they make comebacks by losing key matches themselves was on display once again in the last game. As Sikandar Raza hit back quickly against Jaiswal and Muzarabani got wickets early on. Their performance in the final
T20I showed they can indeed challenge India and make things interesting.
Jaiswal’s record of 13 runs from a single ball exemplifies his attacking nature. Records like this happen regularly and may require the confluence of skills and opportunity at the right time. His ability to cash in on the no-ball and a free hit as well, more or less, reflects his thinking speed and reading of the opportunity. This record shall be remembered as one of the
most profound moments of T20 cricket.
As such, India would look to sign off on a high note in the final T20I. The team was parallel in its performance in the early stages of the fifth game. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will take positives from its fightback and look to build on it. Thus, the last match looks like an interesting signal of the curtains in a competitive series.
