India whitewashed Zimbabwe 3-0 in the T20I series to ease the pain of an overnight tour of Britain

IND vs ZIM, 3rd T20I: India (192/5) beat Zimbabwe (157/7 in 20 overs) by 35 runs in Harare to win the series 3-0

India ended their tour of Zimbabwe on a high as they completed a comprehensive 3-0 T20I series whitewash with a 35-run victory over the hosts at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again stole the show and walked away with the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.

The triumph offered Shreyas Iyer’s side much-needed redemption after a forgettable tour of the UK where India failed to register a single win against Ireland and England. While a clean sheet over Zimbabwe cannot erase the disappointment of a disastrous campaign, it at least gave the Men in Blue new confidence ahead of a busy international season.

India vs Zimbabwe 3rd T20I: Update | Scorecard

The win also capped off a memorable weekend for India, who returned to the top spot in the ICC T20I rankings after Saturday’s victory. Sunday’s success ensured they completed their first T20I series 3-0 over Zimbabwe since 2010. It marked the hosts’ second successive bilateral defeat after their recent loss to Bangladesh.

SOORYAVANSHI Dazzles AGAIN WITH FEARLESS PERFORMANCE

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 81 runs off 49 balls. Courtesy: BCCI

India’s innings suffered an early setback as Abhishek Sharma’s difficult streak continued. The left-hander managed just two before he bowled Blessing Muzarabani behind, with the Zimbabwean pacer dismissing him for the third time in a row.

If Zimbabwe sensed an opening, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi quickly closed the door.

The 15-year-old prodigy once again played with maturity far beyond his years, attacking both seamers and spinners from the outset. Along with Ishan Kishan, he ensured that India dominated the powerplay despite losing an early wicket and kept the score well over ten runs.

Sooryavanshi brought up his second T20I half-century in just 31 balls before shifting into another gear. His clean hitting, fearless intent and excellent positioning kept the Zimbabwean bowlers under constant pressure as the boundaries flowed freely.

A first international century seemed inevitable before Wesley Madhevere brought the breakthrough. Sooryavanshi attempted another strike and mistimed a lofted drive, with Brad Evans taking a superb diving catch at long-off to end a magnificent innings of 81 off 49 deliveries that featured eight fours and four sixes.

The teenager narrowly missed out on a memorable hundred, but he had already laid the perfect platform.

Ishan Kishan played a fluent 29, skipper Shreyas Iyer added a brisk 27 while Rinku Singh saw to the finish with an unbeaten 25 off just 14 balls as India piled up a formidable total that always looked beyond Zimbabwe’s reach.

INDIA PACERS RIP THROUGH ZIMBABWE

Ashok Sharma dismissed Tadiwanash Marumani to take his first wicket for India. Courtesy: BCCI

India’s bowlers again highlighted why they dominated the series from start to finish.

Mayank Yadav wasted no time in striking and removing Brian Bennett on the very first ball of Zimbabwe’s innings for the second time in the series. It was the third occasion in his T20I career that Mayank had struck with the opening delivery of the innings, joining Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the only Indian bowlers to do so three times.

Yash Thakur then dismantled Zimbabwe’s top order by dismissing Dion Myers before producing a superb effort to remove skipper Sikandar Raza for his second successive duck of the series. Suddenly after the hat-trick, Thakur was looking for another wicket but Ryan Burl denied him by sending his very first ball to the boundary.

Ashok Sharma also deserved better returns. The youngster was left frustrated after Ishan Kishan spilled a regulation catch behind the stumps to deny him an early wicket. Sharma, however, refused to let the missed opportunity affect him and eventually claimed his first international wicket by bowling Tadiwanash Marumani with a superb delivery which he crashed into the stumps.

BURL FIGHTS ALONE BUT INDIA DOMINATES

Ryan Burl scored a half-century but his knock came in vain. Courtesy: Zimbabwe Cricket

To Zimbabwe’s credit, they refused to give up without a fight.

Ryan Burl and Wesley Madhevere put on a determined 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket, thwarting India’s attack and briefly raising hopes of an unlikely comeback. On 28, Madhevere mixed caution with aggression before Mayank Yadav returned to break the stand, leaving Burla to carry the responsibility almost single-handedly.

Burl continued to put up an admirable fight, making a gutsy half-century off 42 deliveries with a boundary, keeping the scoreboard moving despite wickets falling around him. However, Zimbabwe simply lacked the necessary support at the other end.

Mayank, Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi and Ashok Sharma kept getting rid of timely breakthroughs and ensured that the required rate climbed out of Zimbabwe’s reach. Despite some dropped catches and the occasional lapse in the field, India’s bowling attack remained disciplined enough to close out the contest comfortably.

Zimbabwe eventually finished on 161/7, giving India a 35-run victory and a deserved 3-0 series lead.

India finally have something to smile about after a miserable UK tour. The opposition may not have been among the world’s elite, but the performances of youngsters like Sooryavanshi, the continued brilliant pace attack and a return to the top of the T20I rankings have given the team a valuable boost.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

26 Jul 2026 20:31 IST