Alongside Jaiswal, Shubman Gill opened, and at three and four, respectively, Abhishek and Gaikwad were sent off.
Many discussions about India’s lineup took place prior to the third Twenty20 International match against Zimbabwe in Harare, particularly with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube joining the team. It was thought that Abhishek Sharma or Ruturaj Gaikwad would sit out in order to create way for Jaiswal, but surprisingly, the team management supported all four openers.
Gill faced criticism for his decision to start over the highly successful Abhishek. But the skipper took the lead and performed admirably in his encounter with the Chevrons. After Jaiswal was dismissed, he took care of business, scoring 66 runs off of 49 deliveries, capping a partnership of 67 runs. Abhishek failed to score ten runs off of nine balls while batting at number three.
Ruturaj looked good even though he was batting in a different position. India scored 182 runs in the first innings thanks to a 49-run explosion off 28 balls from the Pune-born cricket player. Sanju Samson appeared to be in good form towards the finish, but he didn’t get enough balls to have a big effect.
Zimbabwe attempted to play an aggressive style of cricket when it came to the chase, but it didn’t work out well for them. Avesh Khan picked up two wickets in the powerplay, continuing his incredible form with the new ball. Wessly Madhevere and Brian Bennett were dismissed for one and four runs, respectively, while Tadiwanashe Marumani was removed by the returning Khaleel Ahmed.
Also Read: Twitter Reactions: Shubman Gill’s incredible half-century leads India to 182 in the third T20
Zimbabwe was lowered to 19/3, and they were never able to recover. Gill brought in Washington Sundar following the powerplay, and in his opening over, he removed Sikandar Raza and Jonathan Campbell. Following that, Clive Mandande and Dion Myers appeared to be in terrific form as they had earlier scored a half-century, but they were unable to get the team close to the goal. They ultimately suffered a 23-run defeat in the game, which gave India a 2-1 series lead.
Here’s how X reacted:
INDIA WINS THE 3RD T20I AGAINST ZIMBABWE AND LEADS THE SERIES 2-1.#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/1QMoxtDZk7
— Cricket Capital (@CricketCapital7) July 10, 2024
The Chevrons lose to India by 23 runs.
🇿🇼 159/6
🇮🇳 182/4#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/LGw85F80g5
— 263Chat.com 🇿🇼 (@263Chat) July 10, 2024
In spite of 34 runs from the final two overs, India win easily in Harare by 23 runs and take a 2-1 lead in the five match series!#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/VHV79mVwIM
— 🏏Flashscore Cricket Commentators (@FlashCric) July 10, 2024
IND won by 23 runs 👈
T20 3 of 5 (Tied 2 to 1)
.#ZIMvIND— ડꪊ𝕣ꪖ𝕛 ડꪖ𝕣ꪑꪖꫝ 🇮🇳 (@surajsarmah06) July 10, 2024
India won by 23 runs#INDvsZIM #ZIMvIND #IndvZim #ZIMvIND #TeamIndia #IndianCricketTeam #RuturajGaikwad #ShubhmanGill #AbhishekSharma #SanjuSamson #Cricket #CricketTwitter #Zimbabwe #ICC #BCCI#INDvsZIM
— Sudhesh Lakwar (@Sudhesh_Khandip) July 10, 2024
And the medal goes to… 😉#AavaDe | #ZIMvINDpic.twitter.com/FHqSCq3FuJ
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) July 10, 2024
🔙 to 🔙 wins in Harare 🙌
A 23-run victory in the 3rd T20I as #TeamIndia now lead the series 2⃣-1⃣ 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/FiBMpdYQbc#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/ZXUBq414bI
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 10, 2024