Source TOI
HARARE — India ended their seven-match winless streak in T20 Internationals with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first T20I at the Harare Sports Club. The emphatic triumph marked skipper Shreyas Iyer’s first win at the helm in eight attempts and saw 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi script history as the youngest batter to score a T20I half-century.
Pacer Mayank Yadav Sets the Tone
Electing to bowl first on a surface offering decent bounce and carry, India struck immediately. Returning to international cricket after a prolonged layoff, express pacer Mayank Yadav dismissed Brian Bennett with the very first delivery of the match. Mayank constantly rattled the Zimbabwean top order with pace exceeding 145 km/h, removing Dion Myers shortly after to finish with figures of 2/18 in his 4-over spell.
Zimbabwe were reeling at 32/4 after Shivam Dube got the crucial breakthrough of host skipper Sikandar Raza. Middle-order resistance from Wessly Madhevere (39 off 28) and Ryan Burl (26 off 22), alongside a late cameo from Tadiwanashe Marumani (27* off 20), propelled Zimbabwe to a total of 125/7 in their 20 overs.
15-Year-Old Sooryavanshi Rewrites Record Books
Chasing 126 for victory, India faced an early setback as Abhishek Sharma fell for just 1 run. However, teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unleashed a destructive assault on the Zimbabwean bowling lineup.
Smashing four boundaries and four towering sixes, Sooryavanshi raced to his half-century in just 18 balls—reaching 50 off 19 deliveries—to eclipse Nepal’s Kushal Malla as the youngest player to score a men’s international fifty.
“He is fearless. The way he approached this innings was indomitable… he possesses immense confidence when he steps onto the field.”
— Shreyas Iyer on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Iyer Anchors the Finish
Following Sooryavanshi’s departure, Ishan Kishan kept the momentum going with a brisk 35 off 24 balls. Captain Shreyas Iyer anchored the remainder of the chase with an unbeaten 28 off 24 deliveries.
India comfortably overhauled the 126-run target in just 13.2 overs with seven wickets in hand, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.
Brief Scores
Zimbabwe: 125/7 in 20 overs (Wessly Madhevere 39, Tadiwanashe Marumani 27*; Mayank Yadav 2/18, Prince Yadav 2/22)
India: 126/3 in 13.2 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 50, Ishan Kishan 35, Shreyas Iyer 28*; Blessing Muzarabani 2/25)
Result: India won by 7 wickets.
