The Zimbabwe cricket team will be eyeing a victory in the remaining two T20 Internationals against the Indian cricket team to create history by winning the five-match T20I series. The Men in Blue will be locking horns against Zimbabwe in the fourth T20 International on Saturday at the Harare Sports Club from 4:30 pm onwards while the final match of the series will also be played at the same venue on Sunday.
The Shubman Gill-led squad will be buzzing with confidence in the remaining two games as they have done an exceptionally good job in the series so far. Both the batters and bowlers have looked in good shape and form with Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the run-scoring charts and Washington Sundar being the top wicket-taker.
Speaking of the Zimbabwe cricket team, they have also put up a good fight and the team will be hoping to give the visitors a run for their money with players like Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani, and Dion Myers in their squad.
What has happened so far?
The five-match T20I series between Zimbabwe and India kick-started with the hosts putting up a spectacular performance and scoring a victory by 13 runs. It was a praise-worthy performance by Sikandar Raza & Men as they defeated a low score of 115 runs.
However, the Indian team was quick to make a comeback as they won the second T20 International by a whopping 100 runs. Abhishek Sharma was the star performer as he slammed his maiden international hundred to take his team to a score of 234 runs in the allotted 20 overs.
Meanwhile, the Indian team took the lead in the five-match series following the third T20I as they scored a win by 23 runs. The batters again ruled the 22-yard pitch as India racked up a score of 182 runs in the first innings.
As far as India’s recent form in the T20 Internationals is concerned, the team is riding on a high with a win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Blue won all their league games while one match was washed out because of rain before defeating South Africa in the final to end an 11-year wait for a major ICC trophy.
Speaking of Zimbabwe, they last locked horns with the Bangladesh cricket team in the five-match T20I series in May this year. The team dished out a forgettable performance as they lost the first four T20 Internationals to lose the series by 4-1. Their only win came during the last match as they comfortably chased 158 runs in the allotted 20 overs to score a victory by eight wickets.
Head to Head Record
The Indian cricket team enjoys domination over the Zimbabwe side when it comes to the head-to-head record, especially in the shortest format of the game. The two teams have played a total of ten matches against each other with India winning as many as seven games while Zimbabwe scoring a victory in the remaining three fixtures.
Key Players
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe): The Zimbabwe cricket team will have their hopes pinned on Sikandar Raza to dish out exceptional performances and help the side put up competitive matches. It was Raza’s brilliance that helped the hosts win the first T20I by 13 runs and take a lead of 1-0.
India had trouble chasing a low score of 116 runs as Raza picked a three-wicket haul while bowling at an impressive economy rate of 6.2. He is currently the top wicket-taker for his team and fourth in the overall list with five wickets to his name in three matches at an average of 16.60.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is the highest run-scorer in the Zimbabwe vs India T20I series
Ruturaj Gaikwad (India): Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the player to watch out for as India will be looking to score a win in the remaining two T20 Internationals and win the series by 4-1. Gaikwad has been in exceptional form in the series and is ruling the run-scoring charts with a whopping 133 runs to his name in just three matches at an average of over 66.
It was a rare failure for the batter in the first T20 International as he was dismissed for a poor score of seven runs. However, the CSK skipper redeemed himself in the next two games by smacking 77 runs off 47 balls and 49 runs off 28 balls respectively.
Predicted XIs
Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wessly Madhevere, Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza ©, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara
India: Shubman Gill ©, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
Prediction
The Indian cricket team is leading in the five-match series by 2-1 and thus entering into the last two T20 Internationals, they would be in a dominant position. Shubman Gill & Men are expected to put up a great show to score a win in the remaining two matches and ensure a comfortable victory in the series as all the players are in splendid form.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe might be under pressure as their players are less experienced compared to the visitors and they need to win both the games to score a victory in the series.