The second T20I of India’s tour of Zimbabwe 2024 was played on Sunday, July 7. The match between the Indian National Cricket Team led by Shubman Gill and the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team led by Sikandar Raza was hosted by the Harare Sports Club in Harare.
Shubman Gill’s men went into the second T20I intent on revenge as Team India suffered a shock defeat in the series opener on Saturday, July 6. Exactly a week after India were crowned T20 World Champions, their reserve team suffered a huge upset in a low-scoring thriller in Harare.
The bowlers rose to the occasion and restricted the opposition to just 115/9. Ravi Bishnoi, who recently became the number one T20I bowler in the ICC rankings, was the star of the show with his haul of 4 wickets for just 13 runs.
During the run chase, Abhishek Sharma fell for a four-ball duck, Ruturaj Gaikwad for 7, Riyan Parag for 2 and Rinku Singh for 0 as India lost four wickets in five overs. Captain Shubman Gill put up a good fight but was dismissed for 31 while Washington Sundar remained unbeaten till the end when India needed 16 to win the final over. The all-rounder could not get the job done and was dismissed for 27 as India were bowled out for 102, losing the match by 13 runs.
Shubman Gill joined the unwanted list after losing to Zimbabwe in the first match, becoming the third Indian captain to face a defeat against the Chevrons in the T20I format. The first to do so was Ajinkya Rahane in 2015, before MS Dhoni joined him on the unwanted list in 2016.
Not only that, Shubman Gill saw his name on another unwanted list as he was the captain of the Indian National Cricket Team that faced its first defeat in the T20 Internationals in the year 2024. Notably, India had won all their previous T20I matches in 2024, including an unbeaten run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 where they clinched their second title.
It was actually good to have pressure in the first game – Shubman Gill
In the second T20I between India and Zimbabwe, India posted a mammoth total of 234/2 on the board, thanks to the performances of Abhishek Sharma (100), Ruturaj Gaikwad (77) and Rinku Singh (48). With the ball, the Indian bowlers again performed well and bowled out the opposition for 134 to win the match by 100 runs.
After the match, Shubman Gill expressed his delight at his team’s return to winning ways. Shubman Gill praised the duo of Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad for their fantastic work with the bat. Shubman Gill said:
“I’m very happy, it’s great to be back on a winning streak. The way Abhishek and Rutu batted, it wasn’t easy, especially in the powerplay, with the ball moving, but Abhi and Rutu built the innings brilliantly.”
Shubman Gill further said that they were unable to handle the pressure in the first game but it was a good learning experience for them as it helped them win the second T20I. Shubman Gill said:
“Yesterday, the important thing was not being able to handle the pressure. They are a young team and many of their players are new to the international stage. It was actually good to have pressure in the first game and we knew what to expect going into this game. We have three games left and we are looking forward to them. It is always good to have more options than not having them.”
