5th T20I between ZIM and IND: Sanju Samson shines as India ends with a 4-1 result. India ended their visit in style on Sunday, July 14, defeating Zimbabwe by 42 runs in Harare, with Sanju Samson being the star of the show. With a commanding 4-1 score, India won the match and the series because to Samson’s 58 and Mukesh Kumar’s methodical work with the ball.
Once again, Zimbabwe was left to lament their subpar middle order performance as the hosts were bundled out for 125 after failing to muster 168 runs in the end.
After breaking their toss duck on Sunday, Zimbabwe made the hasty decision to bowl first in Harare. In the opening over, Raza would take the ball, and the drama started with the opening delivery. As it happened, Yashasvi Jaiswal hit it for a six and it was a no-ball. Raza cleaned up the Indian opening to exact his revenge, but not before he dumped the free hit into the seats.
India was reduced to 40 for 3 in 5 overs thanks to the disciplined bowling of Zimbabwe’s bowlers, who also claimed the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Samson was promoted to number four, where he would rapidly improve and help the visitors stay afloat. With his RR teammate Riyan Parag, he found the ideal companion, and the two scored 65 runs together.
After Parag was out, Samson changed tactics and received assistance from Shivam Dube, who amassed 26 runs off of 12 balls. With his wicket, Samson helped Zimbabwe regain the lead in the match with a score of 58 from 45 balls. With Rinku’s last-ball burst, India reached 167 in 20 overs, setting a challenging mark for Zimbabwe to meet.
With Wessley Madhevere down for a duck in the opening over, Mukesh Kumar gave the Zimbabwean innings the worst possible start. After that, he dismissed Brian Bennett in his second over and came close to having a third after dismissing Tadiwanashe Marumani. The delivery was a no ball, though, and the Zimbabwean opener lived to punish India by removing Ravi Bishnoi.
He and Dion Myers put the chase back on track with a 44-run partnership until Marumani was removed by Washington Sundar. Myers and Raza would cobble together another crucial stand, but after the former was fired by Dube, mayhem broke out.
In just two overs, Zimbabwe surged from 85 for 3 to 90 for 6. Among these was a major misunderstanding between Campbell and Raza that led to the Zimbabwean captain being booted out. After taking another wicket, Abhishek left Zimbabwe reeling at 94 for 7.
The addition of Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube to the Indian team during the T20 World Cup gave them greater strength, which eventually proved to be too much for the hosts. Shubman Gill led his team admirably throughout all of this, and he should be pleased with the way his team performed in the end.
It would be intriguing to see who from this current squad plays in the T20I series as India go on a new cycle led by Gautam Gambhir, especially with the Sri Lanka tour approaching.
Considerations for Shubman Gill
Gill’s captaincy skills were strong, although there was disagreement over his batting. The fans criticized the India captain for continuing to begin the innings despite Jaiswal’s entry and Abhishek’s rise, even though he finished the series as the team’s top run scorer.
Gambhir might choose to start the two hard-hitters at the top of the innings, therefore Gill might want to consider his position in the T20I setup following the series. In order for Gill to be a regular member of the T20I squad, he might need to consider playing at number three. Although Gill is still a young player, he might look to players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for inspiration on how to change their game to stay on the squad.
