Harare: Mukesh Kumar took a career-best 4/22 as India defeated Zimbabwe by 42 runs in the final and fifth T20I to win the series 4-1. Sent into bat first, India rode on Sanju Samson’s 58 off 45 deliveries to post 167/6 in 20 overs. In reply, Zimbabwe were never in chase, losing wickets at regular intervals. Although Dion Myers top-scored with 34, it wasn’t enough as none of his Zimbabwe teammates could stand in front of Kumar’s fiery bowling to be all out for 125 in 18.3 overs.
After the early dismissal of Wessly Madhevere, who dragged the third ball of the first over by pacer Mukesh onto his stumps, and Brian Bennett, the pair of Tadiwanashe Marumani (27) and Dion Myers (34) added 44 runs for the third wicket to keep the hosts in the hunt.
Marumani’s switch-hit four off leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who went for a few runs in this match, was quite stunning in its execution. But such shots were few and far between from the Zimbabwe batters. Marumani went for a sweep shot against Washington but missed the line altogether as the ball crashed on to his upper torso to get adjudged as leg-before.
Dube tailed a shuffling Myers with a quicker delivery onto his body, and the Zimbabwe batter merely chipped the ball to Abhishek Sharma at short third man. The final nail on their hope was the run out of skipper Sikandar Raza (8), which came in a cartwheel of four wickets for nine runs.
Mukesh, who bagged his career-best T20 figure, fittingly ended Zimbabwe innings going through the gate of Richard Ngarava. Earlier, Samson (1×4, 4×6) and Riyan Parag (22, 24b) added 65 runs for the fourth wicket as India recovered from a middling Power Play in which they scored 44 for three.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (12), who made an unbeaten 93 in the fourth T20I, started the proceedings with two sixes in the first two balls of the innings bowled by Raza. But in the fourth ball of the same over, Jaiswal played the wrong line to a delivery on the middle and leg stump to get bowled.
Abhishek, who was dropped on 10 by Bennett off Blessing Muzarabani, did not last long, edging the pacer two balls later to Clive Madande behind the wicket. Skipper Shubman Gill, who received a reprieve on 11, was never in his fluent self and smashed left-arm seamer Ngarava straight into the hands of Raza in the deep.
At 44/3, India needed a partnership to steady the innings. Samson and Parag provided just that. Their alliance was all about prudence than theatrics, choosing the correct delivery to punish. It was the right approach too considering the pitch was not precisely a belter as it was in the previous two matches, offering a hint of turn.
However, Samson showed his aggressive side when the opportunity presented itself. He biffed leg-spinner Brandon Mavuto for two sixes in a row and the second shot was a little marvel. Mavuto angled the ball into Samson’s leg-stump, but the right-hander gave himself enough space to carve that over extra cover for a maximum.
Samson brought up his fifty in 39 balls, his second in T20Is, but Parag departed as India were looking for some late acceleration. The right-hander perished to Mavuto while looking to clear the fence, and Samson too could not carry on till the end of the innings. He took on Muzarabani, the most impressive among home side bowlers, but ended up giving a catch to tumbling Marumani. However, the tourists found some late steam through Dube’s fireworks.
