India’s T20 title hangover seems to have ended as the Men in Blue broke the hoodoo with a crucial win in the first T20I of the three-match series against Zimbabwe on Thursday, July 23, at the Harare Sports Club. Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led the Men in Blue in the middling chase of 126 to mark India’s first win after seven winless games in T20Is.
Sooryavanshi slammed a record-breaking fifty, becoming the youngest-ever player to have hit an international fifty. He scored a stroke-filled 50 from 18 balls before departing on the very next delivery. However, Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer joined hands to keep the momentum up, and while Kishan was dismissed caught at covers, Shreyas and vice-captain Tilak Varma powered the visitors to a seven-wicket win with 40 balls to spare.
Sooryavanshi shatters multiple records
During his 19-ball 50, Sooryavanshi broke several huge records. Apart from becoming the youngest-ever half-centurion in international cricket, he is also the youngest Indian to have scored a half-century across the three formats and also the youngest to have hit a T20I fifty. At 15y and 118d, Sooryavanshi brokeย Nepal’s Kushal Malla’s record for the youngest international half-centurion. The Nepalese cricketer was 15y and 340d old when he hit a fifty during an ODI against USA in 2020.
The Indian prodigy broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the youngest Indian half-centurion. Tendulkar wasย 16y and 213 days old after smashing a fifty during the Faisalabad Test against Pakistan. The Indian star has also become the youngest T20I half-centurion, having shatteredย Gibraltar’s Louis Bruce’s record, who was 16y and 56d old when he smashed a fifty against Malta in 2021.
India’s drought is over
While Sooryavanshi built a strong platform, it was the pair of captain Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan who forged a 46-run stand for the third wicket to take the Men in Blue near a win. With 12 needed, Kishan chipped one to covers offย Blessing Muzarabani to depart for 35; however, Shreyas remained unbeaten on 28 from 24 deliveries as Tilak made an unscathed six from five to power India to a much-needed win. With this, India have ended their seven-game winless run, which began with the Ireland series and extended till the five-match T20I series against England.ย
India restrict Zimbabwe to 125
The Indian bowlers did well to restrict Zimbabwe to 125/7. Making his comeback after 2024, Mayank Yadav scalped two wickets for 18 in his four overs, while Prince Yadav also took two for 19 as the Indian pacers kept a stranglehold on the Chevrons. Shivam Dube and Ravi Bishnoi took a wicket each. Meanwhile, Wessly Madhevere was the leading run-scorer for the hosts, having made 39 from 34 balls, while Tadiwanashe Marumani scored an unbeaten 27 from 20 deliveries to give the final push.ย
There were mini-doubts over whether India would falter once again, but they did not this time around as they clinched a seven-wicket win and went 1-0 up in the three-match series.
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