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New Delhi: India registered a comprehensive victory in the second T20I against Zimbabwe. Batting first, India scored 219 for 5 and then bowled out Zimbabwe for 129. With this victory, India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series.  

Ishan Kishan became the hero of the match

India, who lost the toss and elected to bat first, got off to a slow start. Abhishek Sharma played aggressively in the first over but was dismissed for 8 runs. Abhishek, who scored just one run in the previous match, failed to make a big innings this time around.  

Vaibhav Suryavanshi then accelerated the innings with three fours and a six in the third over, but departed after scoring 20 runs off nine balls. Captain Shreyas Iyer also managed only 25 runs off 20 balls. From there, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma turned the match around. They added 94 runs for the third wicket in 43 balls.

Ishan played a blistering innings of 81 runs off 44 balls, featuring several big shots. He was caught by Bennett off Nyamuri. Tilak Varma held on until the end, scoring an unbeaten 60 off 29 balls, his ninth half-century of his T20 career. Rinku Singh was dismissed for 12 runs off 8 balls. India reached 219 for 5.  

Yash Thakur’s amazing debut, top order collapses

Chasing a target of 220, Zimbabwe got off to a poor start. Debutant Yash Thakur provided India with the first breakthrough by dismissing Brian Bennett. Bennett looked dangerous, scoring 32 runs off 19 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes.  

Prince Yadav then wreaked havoc. He first dismissed Ben Curran for 1 run and then dismissed captain Sikandar Raza for a duck. Raza’s wicket proved to be the turning point of the match.  

Spinner Ravi Bishnoi also clean bowled Dion Mayers for 12. Zimbabwe lost three big batsmen within the powerplay. Half the team was out for 65. Ultimately, the entire team was all out for 129, giving India a 90-run victory.  

One change in the playing XI

India replaced Ashok Sharma with Yash Thakur in this match, and their decision proved wise. Yash made an impact by taking wickets in his debut match. Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bowl, but their bowlers were unable to defend 219 and their batsmen failed to withstand the Indian attack. Now, India will look to win the next match of the series and move towards a clean sweep.