Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action. (Faheem Hussain / CREIMAS for BCCI)India beat Zimbabwe by 35-runs to win the series 3-0. Earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 49-ball 81 took India to 192/5 after Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first against Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. After two dominant performances, Shreyas Iyer’s men have already sealed the series and will now aim to end the tour on a high.
India vs Zimbabwe 3rd T20I Live Scorecard: Follow Here
The second T20I was a statement win for the new captain, marking his first series victory after disappointing whitewashes against Ireland and England.
India vs Zimbabwe T20I series 2026: All You Need To Know
Ishan Kishan (81 off 44) and Tilak Varma (60* off 29) powered India to 219/5 before the bowlers bundled out Zimbabwe for 129.
India beat Zimbabwe by 35 runs here, and they have whitewashed the hosts. It is not a result which was unexpected, but Shreyas Iyer will be the most relieved man with the result of this series. Mayank Yadav and Yash Thakur have been quite superb today, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the pick of the batters in the first innings. That's it from us, folks. Do have a good evening.
Shreyas Iyer is going for the kill here; he has turned to Ashok Sharma, who cleaned up the stumps of Marumani. Now it is looking a little too far for Zimbabwe. It is about the top order performing. It is not just Bennett; someone as good as Raza too could not just get his innings going through this series.
Mayank Yadav has created the breakthrough. The partnership was threatening to take the game away from India. But his pace did the job. It was the bowling; probably Iyer could have turned to Thakur before, but he turned to his strike weapon, who got the wicket. But Zimbabwe can still snatch this game.
Ryan Burl is playing a nice hand here. Although India has things under control, his innings has forced Shreyas Iyer to turn back to his prime bowlers, which was something he did not need to do yesterday. Interestingly, he went with Yash Thakur's cunning variations as the change-up instead of trying Mayank Yadav or Ashok Sharma, who are super quick.
It is good to see Shreyas Iyer has started to use more of his fifth and sixth bowling options in this series, which was not the case during the Ireland and England series. In the last game, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma did get quite a bit of bowl and today Abhishek Sharma has come into the attack after the drinks break.
One thing Zimbabwe has struggled with in all the games is losing early wickets. Bennett, who has been superb through the T20 World Cup 2026, has not been able to deliver a similar performance at the top of the order in this series. While they have struggled against the pace of Mayank Yadav, they have also not dealt with the googlies of Ravi Bishnoi.
Ravi Bishnoi has picked up the wicket of Curran. It was a well-thought-out shot given that Bishnoi bowls googlies, and Curran tried to reverse-sweep him but was caught on fine leg. Well, it was a bit of a wasted chance for Curran as Zimbabwe needed a partnership at that point in the game, which they could not deliver.
It has been a good powerplay for Zimbabwe, but they have lost three wickets. They are scoring at quite a good clip. Curran, who is in the middle, is taking his time. If he can bat till the 15th to 16th over and build partnerships around him, Zimbabwe will be in a pretty good position in this game.
Yash Thakur has picked up a couple of wickets here. First, it was Myers who fell trying to hit the ball over mid-off and ended up giving a catch to Shreyas Iyer, who took a lovely catch running backwards. And then it was Sikandar Raza who tried to turn the ball to the leg side and got the leading edge and was carried to mid-off.
Mayank Yadav is bowling with some serious pace here. One of the prominent features of his bowling is not just how fast he can bowl but also the length he can hit consistently. He is bowling that hard length with the new ball at his pace; it is quite a terrible delivery from a batter's perspective to face.
Mayank Yadav picked up Brian Bennett off the first delivery. It was a hard-length ball which Bennett could have left, but he carried his bat with the rise and ended up edging it. It is a top-notch delivery for this format of the game, and that is what extreme pace can do to batters. The indecision and making those right calls.
(Talk to us about your transition as a batting coach from the younger generation into the senior side) So I've been with the under-19s for quite some time now and it's been very rewarding. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, because you can make a positive impact on a lot of upcoming players. And it feels good. So when I transitioned from under-19 to this, the role changes because the players are very skilled already. They have a lot of experience. So you're talking about the smaller things, the finer things, rather than all the very, very basics. (Yeah, you've got great strength and depth on the Indian side. Tell us about the competition and how you help the players along with that in terms of all the different positions in the side and all the people competing for those places) Yes, there are a lot of people competing. And what's important is the basic fact that each player, if he wants to stake a claim to playing for India and staying there, needs to be himself. He can't be trying to be like somebody else. And he has to find his own strengths, find where he needs to improve, and work on those things. Be happy being in your own skin, rather than trying to prove something to somebody, just be your best. So that's what my whole role is.
192 is what India has managed to get, which is lower than what they got yesterday. They have started well with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blistering innings, but as the ball got softer, hitting did get harder. Zimbabwe bowlers too were quite sharp with their variations, so join us for our second innings with India's chase.
Brad Evans has picked up the wicket of Shreyas Iyer. It was a slower delivery into the surface, which he tried to whack on the leg side and was holed on the boundary. The surface has gotten a little slower here in the second half of the innings, and a softer ball has been harder to get away. Zimbabwe, in their batting innings, has to make the most of the powerplay.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has fallen for India. It was Madhvere's delivery thrown wide outside the off-stump, which the batter tried to hit over long-off but could not get the timing right. The fielder came in and dived forward to complete the catch. 100 was there for the taking for Sooryavanshi, but it was a brilliant innings, though.
This is a nice innings from Sooryavanshi. Usually he tends to bat in one gear through and through in his innings, but today he is showing a different dimension. He is playing a lot of low-risk shots for singles, and his boundaries too have been low-risk options. This might be the evolution Sooryavanshi needs to be more consistent.
Ishan Kishan has fallen here. He charged down the track, and Sikandar Raza's delivery rammed straight into the leg stump of Kishan—a good, timely breakthrough for Zimbabwe as they were taking the game away from them. Shreyas Iyer is the new batter who has walked into the middle for India.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has got his second half-century in international cricket. This has been a more subtle innings from him. He batted at a pretty nice tempo here today. There is enough time for him in this innings to make this 50 into 80 or 90, even three-digit figures. Ishan Kishan at the other end too is batting pretty nicely here.
This is a blistering start for India in the powerplay. Yesterday, Zimbabwe managed to pick up a couple of wickets in the powerplay before Iyer and Kishan got together to build a partnership, and the acceleration came organically as the innings went on. Today, Sooryvanshi is going all guns blazing, and he can seriously make a mockery of this Zimbabwe bowling attack.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has gotten a good start to his innings here. Zimbabwe bowlers, in their attempt to bowl short, are giving him a lot of room outside the off-stump, which the batter is getting away with for boundaries. While Muzarambani has been quite superb with his bowling, Nyamhuri could not hit his mark so far.
Abhishek Sharma is undone by Blessing Muzarambani yet again here in Harare. He danced down the track and tried to slash the ball through off-side but got the edge to the keeper. It has been a disappointing series for Abhishek while he tried to stamp his authority but could not deal with the extra bounce of Muzarambani.
Sikandar Raza has taken the opening over for Zimbabwe here yet again. Against the two left-handers for India however, it has been quite an expensive over. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has got hold of the first delivery for a boundary, and the over went downhill from that point on. 16 runs have been taken from that over.
It is another beautiful day here in Harare. Shreyas Iyer at the toss reckoned that the surface might get slower in the second innings, as it is the same surface from yesterday. We will find out if that is the case in the first few overs. India managed to put on 219 yesterday; can they replicate the same today?
Wonderful day to play cricket. Same pitch as yesterday. India bowled more slower deliveries and got the rewards. It's a used pitch, and now I'll just go down. I can't go too far. I just want to look at the size of the cracks here. They are a lot more pronounced, and that tells me that this pitch is very, very, very dry. So that will shave off about 20-30 runs. I think the spinners are going to play their part, and also the seamers, in terms of their variations and their slower deliveries. It's a surface that's been used, but there's still runs to be had. I think now we shave off about 20 runs. 180 is a competitive total. - Ed Rainsford
Prince Yadav was unavailable for selection in the third T20I due to a hamstring niggle which he sustained while bowling in the second T20I against Zimbabwe.
[Are you happy to bowl first?] Yeah, we're gonna have to do that anyway. But yeah, had we won the toss, we were looking to bat first as well. But it wasn't because of the slowness of the surface. We know scores have remained pretty good throughout, but we just wanted to bat first today. [On mood in the change room] All I said today was that you all are doing really well. I think with the team lapses, it's slightly more runs needed from the captain. So you guys are all doing a really good job. Now it's on me to try and rock up as well as a captain. Hopefully, God has given us another opportunity to rock up today and hopefully myself and along with the team as well, can put up a good batting and bowling performance. [On the team composition] We are forced into making a change early this morning. Richard Ngarava unfortunately has a slight niggle, so he misses out and Wellington Masakadza comes in.
We're going to bat first considering that we are playing on the same wicket and anticipating for it to get slower and slower. [Happy with the way this pitch played yesterday?] Certainly, we got 220 on the board and we got a phenomenal start the way boys played. It's just, you know, coming today in the morning and reflecting back on those performances give me thrills and obviously want to replicate the same performance again. [On the approach from Indian batters] It's going to be important for us to adapt as quickly as possible. Can't guarantee how the wicket is going to play. Is it going to be similar to yesterday or not? But as quickly we adapt, the better for us, and then we'll try to put a great score on the board. [On the team composition] We've got two changes. Prince is out, so Ashok Sharma comes in for him. And Shivam Dube is out, Suryansh comes in.
Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Ashok Sharma, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav
Shreyas Iyer wins toss and opts to bat first vs ZIM in Harare
[On where the game slipped away in the first innings] I thought the boys bowled well in patches, but credit to India as well. Some of the shots they played and the skill they showed today were certainly admirable. We've been saying for some time now that we can be better in the field, and if the fielding department can support the bowlers a bit more, it'll add extra pressure on the opposition. But I don't want to take anything away from the Indian batters. The display they put on today is certainly something we can learn from. [On Ishan's innings] Yeah, certainly. Ishan has done that quite regularly and consistently. I think he's going through a really good patch and batting very well, especially at number three, which can be a very tricky role. He and Tilak batted really well and, like I said, the skill they have and what they showed us today is something we can learn from. Hopefully, it'll help us improve as well. [On the approach to chasing 220] We were always going to go for it. If you look at our openers, they gave us exactly the sort of start we needed. Unfortunately, it comes down to inexperience at times and sometimes shot selection, which is where we're letting ourselves down. But most importantly, I think I've been letting the team down as captain with my batting. The onus is on me to get it right because the team needs my runs, and unfortunately that hasn't been the case over the last two T20 games. But, Inshallah, I'll do my best to turn it around because the team could really do with my runs.
I feel exultant, especially with the way we won today. It was a comprehensive victory and a brilliant contribution from each and every player. [On what stood out most in the performance] Starting with the batting, I think the way Ishan and Tilak played was outstanding. A few of the shots they played were rakanaka (beautiful), and they were really pleasing to the eye. At the start, I felt anything between 180 and 200 would have been a par score, but we ended up getting 220, which was the icing on the cake. So, yeah, brilliant contributions from both of them. Then, with the ball, as usual, the bowlers came in, executed their lines and lengths precisely and bundled them out for 130-odd. I think that basically tells you the story of the game. [On the fearless approach of the young team] Yes, that's how you've got to approach the game. I feel it's all about the attitude. Don't dwell too much on previous performances. Keep moving forward and, more importantly, stay in the present. You've got to maximise every opportunity you get. Tomorrow is another opportunity, so we're looking forward to it. [On possible changes for the final T20I] Let's see. We haven't decided yet and I haven't spoken to the coach. Unfortunately, one of our players (Prince) picked up an injury, so there could be a couple of changes.
Zimbabwe Squad: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga, Innocent Kaia, Wellington Masakadza, Tafadzwa Tsiga
India Squad: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav, Suryansh Shedge, Harsh Dubey, Ashok Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the India vs Zimbabwe 3rd T20I match taking place at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. Shreyas Iyer-led India can complete a clean sweep over Sikandar Raza's men by winning the final match. Earlier, the Men in Blue rolled over Zimbabawe in the opening two game, winning it by 7 wickets and 90 runs.
Stay tuned as we bring you all the live updates from the match.
String of poor returns sparks questions on how long Abhishek’s ‘longer rope’ is
Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal in India’s second T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday was, paradoxically, both an anomaly and entirely familiar.
An anomaly because of how it unfolded. Sharma – the world’s No. 1-ranked T20I batter not too long ago – meekly pushed a Blessing Muzarabani delivery straight to Ryan Burl at backward point. Stripped of context, it could easily have passed for a routine fielding drill. This manner of departure – on a whimper, and not aplomb – is not in synchronisation with the southpaw’s batting style. But while it seems like an exception in isolation, it was the 10th time in his last 17 T20Is that Sharma had fallen for 10 or fewer, raising fresh questions about how long the ‘longer rope’ the team management has given him is. (READ MORE)
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