India finally ended their seven match winless streak under the captaincy Shreyas Iyerdefeated Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the first T20I in Harare on Thursday. The match also witnessed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi script history by becoming the youngest player to score a T20I half-century.After winning the toss, Iyer chose to bowl first, and India’s pace attack justified the decision with a clinical performance.
Mayank Yadav shines on the comeback
Returning to international cricket for the first time since October 2024 after recovering from a stress fracture, Mayank Yadav made an immediate impact. The express pacer dismissed Brian Bennett on the very first ball of the match before dismissing Dion Myers, regularly clocking a speed of over 145 kmph.Zimbabwe were reduced to 26/3 in the powerplay and further slipped to 32/4 after Shivam Dube dismissed captain Sikandar Raza.A batting partnership between Wessly Madhevere (39) and Ryan Burl (26), along with an unbeaten 27 off 20 from Tadiwanashe Marumani, helped the hosts recover to 125/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Debutant Ashok Sharma recovered well after a costly first over, while Ravi Bishnoi bowled economy to finish 1/24.
Sooryavanshi rewrote history
Chasing 126, India suffered an early loss when Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for just 1. However, it proved to be Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s day.The 15-year-old prodigy unleashed a stunning attack, smashing 50 in just 19 balls with four fours and four sixes. In the process, he became the youngest player to score a T20I half-century, putting India firmly in control of the chase before collapsing soon after his milestone.Captain Shreyas Iyer anchored the innings with an unbeaten 28 off 24 balls, while Ishan Kishan chipped in with a quick 35 off 24. Tilak Varma swept the wins as India completed the chase comfortably with seven wickets in hand.For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan were dismissed, while Richard Ngarava claimed the precious skin of Sooryavanshi.The victory marked Shreyas Iyer’s first win as India’s T20I captain, ending a disappointing seven-match winless streak that included tours of Ireland and England, while Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking knock stole the headlines in Harare.