Shubman Gill’s India Falter in Harare Thriller against Zimbabwe
India’s young guns fell short in a nail-biting T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare, as the visitors were unable to chase down a modest target of 116 runs.
Debutant captain Shubman Gill acknowledged that his team’s performance was below par, citing rustiness and poor fielding as contributing factors to their downfall.
“I think we bowled pretty well but we left ourselves down with the fielding. We weren’t up to our standards and I think everybody looked rusty,” Gill said at the post-match presentation.
The conditions in Harare proved challenging, with the pitch offering sideways movement early on and then slowing down considerably, negating the big-hitting abilities of the Indian batters accustomed to the IPL. Five of India’s top six batters fell for single-digit scores, with four of them trying to force the pace against the canny Zimbabwean bowlers.
Gill top-scored with a gritty 31 off 29 balls, but his dismissal proved crucial as India lost their way in the chase.
“Honestly, just take your time, enjoy the batting. Not too many runs on the board. So not much pressure but it wasn’t the way [the match] panned out,” Gill said, reflecting on his instructions to the team during the innings break.
A late surge from Avesh Khan kept India’s hopes alive, but with only two wickets in hand, the task proved too steep.
“Definitely there was a bit of hope for us,” Gill admitted. “But you know when you are chasing 115 and you want your No. 10 batter to stay out there, something has gone wrong.”
The series now moves to the second game on Sunday, giving India a chance to bounce back and level the five-match T20I contest.
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