Vice-captain Sanju Samson hit his second T20I fifty in 45 balls, while fast bowler Mukesh Kumar took his career-best numbers with 4-22. They helped India defeat Zimbabwe by 42 runs in the fifth and final game at the Harare Sports Club to win the series 4-1. Samson was at his languid best. He smashed four and four sixes in his innings.
He formed a 65-run standoff with 56 balls for the fourth wicket with Riyan Parag to help India recover, after losing their top three batters during the powerplay. Sanju Samson dealt heavily in boundaries, hitting three fantastic sixes with his superb bat swing, including a huge 110m hit. While Samson got a good half-century, Dube’s rapid cameo of 26 runs.
Sanju Samson Wicketkeeper-Batter’s Massive Six
During the game, the wicketkeeper-batter hit a 110-metre six. It was so massive that the ball popped out of the ground.
Brandon Mavuta sent the ball outside off stump, which Sanju Samson hammered down the ground for the big one. The final two overs yielded 30 runs. In response, Mukesh struck twice with the new ball to put Zimbabwe in early difficulty.
Dion Myers and Tadiwanashe Marumani kept Zimbabwe in the chase. But a collapse saw them go from 85/3 to 94/7. Then all out for 125 in 18.3 overs, giving Sanju Samson’s team a solid series win after losing the first match by 13 runs.
Mukesh got India off to a great start in their 168-run defense when Wesley Madhevere sliced onto his stumps in the first over. Myers and Marumani struck seven boundaries between them to lead Zimbabwe to a 44-run third-wicket standoff in 36 deliveries. However, Washington Sundar ended the partnership in the ninth over by catching a sweeping Marumani lbw with a slower delivery.
Myers hit Abhishek Sharma for a four and a six to keep Zimbabwe on track, but Dube bowled him out in the 13th over with a short ball that squeezed the batter for space and was caught off a leading edge by backward point.
India’s Bowlers Seal Dominant Victory
Sikandar Raza was run out in a mix-up with Johnathan Campbell by a direct shot from Dube. He removed the latter in the next over, giving Zimbabwe could not recover.
Abhishek and Tushar Deshpande then each took a wicket, While Mukesh claimed the final two scalps to complete a four-wicket haul in another dominant victory for India. Abhishek was fortunate to be caught by Bennett at cover-point off Blessing Muzarabani, but the bowler responded by seeing the left-handed batter nick behind an angled across delivery to Madande.
Shubman Gill struggled at the crease and was removed by Richard Ngarava after attempting to top-edge a pull to mid-on. In rebuilding India’s innings, Sanju Samson dealt heavily in boundaries, hitting three fantastic sixes with his superb bat swing, including a huge 110m hit.
When Parag miscued his loft to long-off, Brandon Mavuta gave Zimbabwe the lead, but Sanju Samson marched on, slamming boundaries to reach fifty before drawing straight to deep mid-wicket and falling for 45-ball 58 off Muzarabani.
Dube smashed four boundaries in his 12-ball 26 before being run out in the final over due to a miscommunication with Rinku. Rinku lofted Faraz Akram down the ground for a six, and 14 runs came off the last over. Blessing Muzarabani was Zimbabwe’s best bowler, with 2/19 in four overs, but their fielding. While some brilliant catches, had some lapses – three dropped chances and other fumbles. It was a big issue that affected them throughout the series in addition to their poor batting performances.
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