The Men in Blue were back to familiar ways as they handed a thumping 100-run defeat to the minnows in Harare on Sunday. After the win, Indian skipper Shubman Gill was all praise for the young side while also stating that it was good to have pressure on his side in the first game itself.
Speaking to the presenters after the match, Shubman said, “Very happy, great to be back on the winning note back again. With the way Abhishek and Rutu batted, it was not easy especially in the powerplay, with the ball moving around but Abhi and Rutu built the innings brilliantly.”
On the selection woes caused by the inclusion of Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube, Gill said, "Yesterday, it was more about not being able to handle the pressure, it's a young side and many of them are new to international exposure. It was actually good to have pressure in the first game and we knew what to expect coming into this game. We have got three matches to go and we are looking forward to them. It's always good to have more options rather than not having options," the Indian captain added.
After a shock defeat in the first T20I in Harare, Shubman and Co turned things around the very next day. While India lost the wicket of skipper Shubman Gill early in the innings, the partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad helped them sail through troubled waters.
After surviving the initial setback, Abhishek picked apart the Zimbabwe bowling, hitting it over the boundary in all parts of the ground. The left-hander put the pedal to the metal with a 28-run over against Dion Meyer and later followed it up with a 21-run over against Wellington Masakazda.
While Ruturaj continued to play second fiddle until Abhishek came to the crease, the CSK skipper took the responsibility of scoring most of the runs after his partner's departure. Gaikwad was also supported at the crease by Rinku Singh, who ensured that the Men in Blue had a fitting end to an exciting innings, posting a total of 234 runs.
In reply, the Minnows started on the wrong foot, with pacer Mukesh Kumar dismissing Innocent Kaia in the first over of the match. A blistering 26-run knock from Brian Benett put the pressure back on the Indians, but the Men in Blue were back in the driver's seat when Mukesh returned to dismiss Benett in the third over of the innings. From there, Zimbabwe never looked back and were eventually dismissed for 134.