India were stunned by Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the three-match series in Harare on Saturday. Set a 171-run target, India fell two runs short of the target. Here’s a look at what went wrong for the visitors:
Scorecard: India vs Zimbabwe (Click here)
Debutants feel the heat: India’s five debutants were definitely the weak link in the Harare loss. KL Rahul was out for a golden duck, Yuzvendra Chahal recorded figures of 1/38, Unadkat was erratic to end with figures of 0/43 and Rishi Dhawan was all over the place. The all-rounder first went for 1/42 with the ball and then made a mess with the bat. When he came out to bat, India needed 7 off four balls. The first ball he attempted a wild scoop, missed. Second ball he attempted something fancy again, missed. At this level, putting bat to ball is need of the hour, especially in this format.
STATS: Interesting numbers from series opener
Stop-start: Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu got off to starts but none were able to convert it into a big total. What was more frustrating was the manner in which they got out. Mandeep perished playing the big shot, Jadhav dragged one back on to his stumps and Rayudu attempted a reckless shot.
REPORT: Zimbabwe stun India, go 1-0 up
New-ball: India struggled with the new ball. Unadkat was not able to get his lines right while Dhawan was all over the place. The all-rounder tried plenty of variations but his execution, apart from the wicket ball, was not upto the mark.
Poor start: Rahul’s first-ball departure put India on the mat early in the chase. Chasing the record total in Harare, India needed a good start but they were denied. Post Rahul’s wicket, Rayudu and Mandeep steadied the ship but fell just when they were needed the most.
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