Zimbabwean pace bowler Luke Jongwe has revealed the reason behind his unusual boot celebration in the first T20I match between Zimbabwe and India in Harare. Jongwe gave away 28 runs in four overs while picking up the wicket of Indian wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel.
On the fifth ball of the tenth over of India’s innings, Jongwe bowled an off-cutter outside the off-stump. Jurel was overcome by the pace and attempted to hit it up the field. But instead, the bat spun in his hands and he managed a simple catch to extra cover, where Wesley Madhevere completed a clean catch. The India wicket-keeper-batsman was dismissed for just 6 off 14 balls on his T20I debut.
After picking up the wicket, Jongwe celebrated with a shoe-call, which attracted many eyes. It was not the first time someone had made such a celebration. Previously, South African left-handed wrist bowler Tabraiz Shamsi also celebrated in the same manner.
Also read: ‘Shubman Gill is an advanced version of Babar Azam’: India captain breaks down after failing to outstrip Zimbabwe in second T20I
Luke Jongwe credits girlfriend for his ‘shoe celebration’
After the match, Luke Jongwe revealed the reason for his special celebration and credited his girlfriend Brenda for it.
“I came up with the idea of the celebration while I was on a call with my girlfriend Brenda (Jasi). We were actually talking about a celebration I would do if I got a wicket the next day in my hotel room, so I opted for the shoe celebration,” Jongwe was quoted as saying by The Standard.
“I told her that every time I get a wicket I will call her and I hope I don’t run out of air time,” the all-rounder added.
Luke Jongwe celebrates with a shoe
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Zimbabwe stun India to take 1-0 lead
Talking about the match, Zimbabwe registered a memorable win over India in the first T20I to go 1-0 up in the series. Before the match, India’s IPL stars were expected to dominate Zimbabwe but the batsmen struggled on a slow pitch.
Chasing victory by 116 runs, India lost wickets in groups and were reduced to 47-6 at one stage. Washington Sundar did his best and held on till the end but was left without partners. Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan were the only Indian players to reach the double-digit mark as India folded for 102 and lost the match by 13 runs. Tendai Chatara and Sikandar Raza picked up three wickets each for Zimbabwe.
Earlier, Zimbabwe had scored 115-9 in 20 overs, thanks to valuable contributions from Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza and Clive Madande. Madande’s 25* run partnership with Tendai Chatara for the last wicket proved crucial in the end and made the difference for Zimbabwe. Wicketkeeper-batsman Clive Madande scored an unbeaten 29 runs off 25 balls.
The Indian bowlers had a good day on the field as Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar shared 6 wickets between them. Ravi Bishnoi took 4-13 in four overs while Washington Sundar finished with 2-11 in four overs.
