India 182 for 4 (Gill 66, Gaikwad 49, Jaiswal 36, Raza 2-24, Muzarabani 2-25) beat Zimbabwe 159 for 6 (Myers 65*, Madande 37, Washington 3-15, Avesh 2-39) by 23 runs
At the end of it all, India took a big step towards winning the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe with a 23-run win in the third match to take a 2-1 lead.
Gill and Jaiswal reunite at the top
The return of three players from the T20 World Cup-winning squad forced a change in India’s tactics. Jaiswal has been the incumbent opener – whenever India have played without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – and he slotted back at the top with Gill. As a result, Abhishek Sharma, fresh from his maiden international century in the second T20I, and Gaikwad had to play out of positions at Nos. 3 and 4.
Gill anchors, Gaikwad bludgeons
Abhishek had a brief stay in the middle, which brought together Gill and Gaikwad in the 11th over. Wessly Madhevere’s only over – the 13th of the innings – allowed India to change gears. Gill first hit the legspinner for a six before Gaikwad hit him for a six and a four. Gaikwad regularly used his feet even against pace to put Tendai Chatara and later Richard Ngarava, who replaced Luke Jongwe in the Zimbabwe XI, off their lengths.
Gill sped up to bring up a 36-ball fifty, his first as India’s T20I captain. However, despite a long batting order – Washington was carded in at No. 8 – India were in danger of finishing with a below-par score when they were 130 for 2 after 16. Which is when an 18-run over from Raza – featuring four byes and a six each from Gill and Gaikwad – lifted them. But the extra bounce on the surface consumed Gill in the 18th, when he looked to loft Muzarabani over the covers but miscued it to Raza tracking back. Gaikwad hit a few lusty blows but fell one short of fifty.
India ended on 182, not below par at all. Two half-century partnerships – 67 off 50 between Gill and Jaiswal and 72 off 44 between Gill and Gaikwad – had taken India there, and Jaiswal, at the innings break, felt it was enough.
What aided them were a few missed half-chances, two dropped catches – one each of Jaiswal and Gaikwad – and a plethora of misfields.
Fielding lets Zimbabwe down again
When Chatara failed to get a hand to Jaiswal’s pull in the opening over, little did Zimbabwe know it was a sign of things to come. In the next over, Myers was a bit late in reacting to a top edge from Gill and the ball landed short of him running in from midwicket. Jaiswal and Gaikwad received reprieves. A few half-chances were missed. The mishaps on the field were mostly regulation efforts, which meant India raced away to a fast start despite facing 22 dots in the powerplay. Overall, India were beneficiaries of 31 runs according to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data. The eventual win margin was just 23.
Zimbabwe lose their way, and find it again too late
When Raza swung across the line to hole out to deep square-leg off Washington’s second ball, the writing seemed to be on the wall. It got better for India – and worse for Zimbabwe – when substitute fielder Riyan Parag took a sharp catch at slip to dismiss Johnathan Campbell four balls later off Washington.
But Myers and Madande had other plans. India’s decision to accommodate all of their T20 World Cup returnees left them thin on bowling resources. As a result, Abhishek and Shivam Dube had to combine to bowl four overs. Myers and Madande didn’t let them settle and hit a combined six fours and two sixes off them. Those four overs cost India 50. Thanks to the early inroads, it did not cost them on the day.
S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Sudarshanan7