ZIM vs IND 2026: Zimbabwe vs India Highlights & Review – 3rd T20I

How did the 3rd T20I between Zimbabwe and India go? – Review, Turning Points & more

India registered another comprehensive win to conclude their tour of Zimbabwe on Sunday, July 26. The Men in Blue defeated the Chevrons by 35 runs at the Harare Sports Club to complete a 3-0 whitewash.

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first before Abhishek Sharma was dismissed cheaply yet again. Ishan Kishan struggled on a sluggish surface but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kept India afloat. He played aggressive shots as usual but combined them with rotation of strike, understanding that it wasn’t one of the easiest wickets to bat on.

Kishan fell for a 26-ball 29, but Sooryavanshi went on to smash 81 off 49 deliveries. It seemed that he would score his maiden international century but a sensational catch by Brad Evans sent him back to the pavilion.

Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh played handy cameos at the back end of the innings, as India finished on 192/5 in their 20 overs.

Brian Bennett was dismissed first ball yet again by Mayank Yadav. Dion Myers and Ben Curran tried to steady the ship but their partnership only yielded 34 runs. Yash Thakur dismissed Myers and Sikandar Raza off consecutive deliveries, putting the tourists in the driving seat.

Ben Curran and Ryal Burl added 31 runs before the former was dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi. The latter forged a defiant 60-run stand off 50 balls with Wessly Madhevere. However, they needed to hit a flurry of boundaries in the death overs which turned out to be too huge a task for them.

Burl eventually finished unbeaten on 54 off 43 deliveries, as Zimbabwe were restricted to just 157/7 by the Indian bowlers.

Top batting performance of the match: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played his best knock in international cricket so far. He had slammed an 18-ball fifty in the first T20I. While Sunday’s knock saw him batting much slower, it showed that he is ready to play within himself if the conditions are not in his favour. During his 81-run knock, Sooryavanshi slammed eight fours and four sixes.

Top bowling performance of the match: Mayank Yadav

Mayank Yadav will be mighty pleased with how he bowled in the series, making his comeback to international cricket after 21 months. The right-arm seamer finished with magnificent figures of 3/29 in four overs. He also concluded the series as the highest wicket-taker, with five scalps in three games at an economy rate of 6.55.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• India dropped five catches against Zimbabwe in the third T20I. This is the joint-second-most number of catched dropped by them in a T20I game (where data is available).
• Three catches were dropped off Yash Thakur’s bowling on Sunday. This is the joint-mostoff an Indian bowler in a T20I alongside five other instances (where data is available).
• Sikandar Raza tied Regis Chakabva’s record for the most ducks for Zimbabwe in T20Is (11).
• Raza is second on the list of skippers with most ducks in T20Is (7), only one behind Aaron Finch.
• Mayank Yadav has tied Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the list of Indian bowlers with most first-ball wickets in T20I innings. Both have taken first-ball wickets thrice.
• Sooryavanshi is the only men’s cricketer with more than one 50-plus score before turning 16 in international cricket.

Who won the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won the Player of the Match for his remarkable knock in tough batting conditions. This is his first Player of the Match award in international cricket. He also went on to win the Player of the Series award.

When is the next match?

This was the last match in the series. India’s next assignment is a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting next month. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe face Australia in a three-match ODI series in September.