Yashasvi Jaiswal (93 not out) and captain Shubman Gill (58 not out) came up with contrasting half centuries and a flawless 156-run opening stand to help India register a series-clinching 10-wicket win against Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday. The victory gave India a 3-1 unassailable lead with the fifth match of the rubber to be played at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
The Indian opening pair made a mincemeat of a 153-run target with Yashasvi turning on the heat on the Zimbabwe bowling before Gill joined the party but let his left-handed opening partner lead the proceedings against a hapless home attack.
In the process, Jaiswal raised a 29-ball fifty, and continued piling agony in the opposition ranks with as many as 13 hits to the fence and a couple over it. as India took control over Zimbabwe in the chase.
Gill, on the other hand, was more measured in his attack, but kept the momentum going with his 39-ball unbeaten knock, laced with six boundaries and two mighty sixes.
Earlier, India’s part-time bowlers Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma put in a commendable performance, restricting the hosts to a manageable 152 for seven. Despite skipper Sikander Raza’s explosive 46 off 28 balls, which included three sixes and two fours, the Indian duo managed to keep the proceedings under control during the middle overs.
Abhishek (1/20 in 3 overs) and Dube (1/11 in 2 overs) played a crucial role in removing the dangerous-looking opening pair of Wesley Madhevere (25 off 24 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32 off 31 balls). Their efforts helped to put the brakes on Zimbabwe’s scoring rate.
Debutant medium pacer Tushar Deshpande (1/30 in 3 overs) had a mixed performance, often pitching the ball too full or too short, allowing the openers to score easy boundaries. He redeemed himself by dismissing Raza with a slower delivery in the slog overs, preventing Zimbabwe from surpassing the 170-run mark, which would have been par on this track.
Despande, the Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fast bowler, was handed his maiden international cap by assistant coach Sairaj Bahutule, and replaced Avesh Khan as the only change in Saturday’s match. His selection comes on the back of an excellent IPL, where he was CSK’s highest wicket-taker – 17 wickets in 13 games at an economy of 8.83.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s best opening stand in the series was finally broken when left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma forced Marumani to mistime a pull shot, which was caught by Rinku Singh.
Following this, the hosts struggled to capitalize on the advantage they had gained. Madhevere fell to Dube, failing to get the required elevation and distance on a short ball, with Rinku completing the catch at deep mid-wicket.
Brian Bennett (9 off 14 balls), who had been brilliant with the bat in the second game, also failed to get going before being dismissed by Washington Sundar. Dube and Abhishek’s disciplined bowling, maintaining a wicket-to-wicket line, helped keep the scoring in check.